We all know that Nashville is a community of incredible music talent, and at MCU, we have the great fortune to get to know many of those talents. One of those individuals is singer-songwriter, Rachel Proctor.

Rachel is a gifted songwriter with an amazing voice. She grew up in Charleston, West Virginia, the daughter of a nursing assistant and a supermarket manager. Rachel's musical story began with grade school productions of Annie and The Sound of Music and continued with an appearance on Star Search.

Rachel joined a country band at 17 and played clubs, fairs and festivals in West Virginia. By 18, Rachel was traveling to Music City to shop her songs. Nashville quickly recognized her talent, and Rachel got her first publishing deal. Rachel then formed a country band with the then-unknown Blake Shelton.

In 2003, Rachel released her debut single "Days Like This" which was the first of four singles from her 2004 debut album Where I Belong. That album includes her hit song "Me and Emily".

Now, Rachel is a hit songwriter, performer and activist for our four-legged friends. Rachel has written songs for Martina McBride and broken chart records in 2008 with the debut country single "Come On Over" she co-wrote for Jessica Simpson. She also co-founded "Camp Chaos 37206" with songwriter Bruce Wallace to rescue stray dogs from Nashville's streets.

We are proud to have the super-talented Rachel Proctor as part of the MCU family. Check out Rachel's amazing videocast performance, with her special guest Bruce Wallace, filmed at SAE Institute on Music Row.