Far removed from the big, boisterous cities of Houston and Dallas, in the expansive rancher's paradise anywhere south of Austin, Texas, there is a fertile musical garden known as the Texas dance hall circuit. For the past five years, a young man named David Kersh has been electrifying audiences throughout this region, traveling the same talent-testing turf that George Strait had as a training ground. You've heard of the 'the sticks.' Well, some of these halls are in 'the twigs.'

"One place used to be an old cotton gin," grins David. "They turned it into a dance hall. It's six miles from the nearest town and the nearest town only has 500 people in it. That's one of the places we draw about 1,200 people. When you live two hours from a big city, the thing to do is go to the dance halls. People bring their families out . . . it's incredible how different it is on that circuit than it is in the Houston clubs."

Singing four hours a night, five or six nights a week for the most demanding of country fans has given the 25 year old from Humble, Texas keen musical instincts. With Sony Tree honcho Pat McMakin at the production helm, David Kersh's self-titled Curb debut offers the driving spirit of "young country," the old-time sound of honky-tonk and the heart-tugging impact of the classic ballad.

And it's on the ballads that David Kersh makes his biggest impression--the irresistible "Goodnight Sweetheart" is destined to be a slow-dance standard; there's not a lover alive who wouldn't swoon to the potential wedding anthem "Until Now"; and David's dynamics truly shine on the lilting "Another You."

"We delayed the making of this album six months because we wanted to make sure we had enough great songs," says David, who has been tune-hunting in Nashville for three years. "We ended up with an excellent reflection of me. Plus, we know what's hot in the Texas dance halls and every couple of weeks, we slipped in one of the album songs. We played "Goodnight Sweetheart" and people wanted to know whose hit it was and where they could buy it. These are very loyal country music listeners and they make a great test market."

David grew up in Humble, a small town 20 miles north of Houston. Ironically, the town's name is one of the best words used to describe the entertainer. With his downhome charm, good-looks and manners, David is the picture of humility. "I get kidded for always saying 'Yes ma'am' and 'No ma'am' even to girls my own age, but I will never forget the time my mother tanned my hide when I was younger for not saying it," David laughs.

As much as his mother taught him manners, his father's musical tastes played just as big a role in David's life. Charlie Kersh, who once played keyboards in a "garage" band with Rodney Crowell, owned a large collection of Oak Ridge Boys' records and frequently listened to other country greats such as Ricky Skaggs, George Strait and Ronnie Milsap.

At age 13, David had the opportunity to get an inside look into the music business. His father and grandfather started the first radio station in Humble, an AM station that played adult contemporary music. David was fascinated. "He would come in the studio and ask dozens of questions about the studio equipment and various stacks of tapes. We had to constantly tell him to 'be quiet' when the 'on-air' sign was flashing," said Charlie.

David doesn't have to 'be quiet' anymore. And though his unadulterated love of the stage has already provided him many opportunities to perform for fans across the country, his heart remains true to Texas. His Texas roots and respect for the Lonestar people run as deep as the state's seemingly bottomless platinum mine of talent.