Ogre₦ation

The story of an up-and-coming country music star begins in small town, rural Iowa. The “Music-man” was born and raised in the Hawkeye state, just a short 20-minute drive east of the fabled “Great Lakes” of Okoboji in Spirit Lake. He found himself a long way from home this past summer as he stepped on stage in front of –or behind –the four judges of the NBC smash-hit, “The Voice”.

Casey Muessigmann –pronounced “Music-man” –was born in Iowa City, Iowa, and grew up in Spencer, home of the Tigers, where he attended grade school. Early in his childhood, he showed signs of amazing musical talent that his family adored.

“My love for music started at a very young age. At most family gatherings, I found myself more entranced with the radio than with the actual family,” voiced Muessigmann. “During long road trips, I found myself intertwined more with the radio frequency, than with that of the conversation, and learned several songs out of rote memory.”

His grandmother Judy, lovingly referred to by Casey as Grandma Muessigmann, was a major influence on his early development as a singer. A devout Toby Keith fan, Grandma Muessigmann would have her grandson memorize Toby Keith songs between his visits to her home in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

“Her love for music, along with her undying fandom for Toby Keith led to her pushing me towards country music, and thus, my career ‘started,’” recalled Casey. “Music’s a funny thing, because it reaches you in so many different ways. You know, over time, you just fall in love with it. At least I did, especially when I realized I had a talent for it.”

In addition to being a big fan of Toby Keith, Casey also idolizes another big name in country music, Jason Aldean.

“Every single song connects with a part of me. Jason Aldean has got his redneck side, he’s got his wild side, but he’s also got his other songs. Songs like Back In This Cigarette, Wide, Good To Go, songs that just tug on my heart-strings,” Casey went on. “The display of importance of family and his passion in his music are the exact same way I feel about my music.”

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In high school, Casey was involved in a little bit of everything, from being president of Student Council, to varsity wrestling, to singing for the school’s jazz, show and concert choirs. Following high school, Casey decided to follow his passion for wrestling and compete collegiately. He got accepted and enrolled at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, in the fall of 2008. As a freshman, Casey struggled balancing his academics with athletics, and failed out.

“I went back home and lived with my parents for another year. I didn’t do very well in my first semester of junior college, either. So I took a semester off and started working part time at a Movie Gallery, when I realized how much I hated shift work. I decided to go back to school.”

Muessigmann enrolled at Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville, Iowa, in the fall of 2009, making the Dean’s List in both of the two years he studied there.

After living back home while attending Iowa Lakes, Casey chose to give Morningside another shot. After being reaccepted, he declared a major in Mass Communications and got involved with the campus radio station, KMSC Fusion 93, becoming a premier color commentator alongside his play-by-play comrade, Jordan Ogren.

“It’s kinda funny, because I went back to Morningside to study mass communications and wrestle, when all along music had been my passion, and I set it on the back-burner,” admitted Casey.

“A lot of people, when they’re a junior in college, are passed the dreamer stage. I’m not. I want my voice to impact people the way that music has impacted me,” expressed Muessigmann. “Most people grow up and they wanna be a doctor, they wanna be a lawyer. I wanna be a musician. I wanna sing.”

Casey is adored around campus at Morningside, especially by the close friends he made in his time there. Many of them would agree the man loves himself some country music.

“I’ve known Casey since I was seven years old. Every time I would ride with him in a car, he would start singing along to whatever was playing. Casey knew every song that came on the radio,” remembered fellow Spencer native and Morningside roommate, Tyler “Kac” Kacmarynski.

“What I remember most while living with Casey was he would always sing along with the radio while in the shower. We would all stand outside the bathroom listening like a free concert,” said teammate and roommate, Andrew Anthofer. “His obsession with music literally means just that. He had music playing at all hours of the day.”

After his first semester back at Morningside, Casey finally decided to move his move his passion for music to the main burner on his life-stove. Accompanied by his father, Jon Muessigmann, he embarked on a journey to chase his musical dreams in Chicago, Illinois, where auditions were being held for season 3 of the NBC smash-hit program, “The Voice.”

“Casey is such a sweet guy and is amazingly talented. When he told me about trying out for The Voice, he came to our apartment and sang a few songs, asking for the opinion of my roommates and I on which one he should sing,” said long-time friend and current Morningside student, Blake Schany. “We all agreed he melted our hearts,” Schany said with a blush.

After auditioning in Chicago, Casey received a call back from the producers of the show, asking him to participate in the “Blind Auditions” for judges Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee-Lo Green, and Blake Shelton in Los Angeles, California.

“Music is definitely a huge part of Casey’s life. I mean, he risked everything for a shot to make it big and it paid off for him,” said wrestling teammate, Carter Tegeler. “His passion and obsession have definitely showed me that even though your goals can seem so far away at times, if you have that desire and obsession to reach them, nothing is out of reach.”

After months of waiting and voice training, Casey took the stage behind the backs of the judges. In his black 10-gallon hat and cowboy boots, he sang his rendition of “Sweet Home, Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, showing off his southern rock charisma and a voice packed with soul and passion. During his performance, Casey managed to turn some heads, and a couple chairs, ultimately selecting country music star, Blake Shelton, reserving his spot on Team Blake.

“I’ve never been so excited and emotional in my entire life. It was literally a dream come true and I can’t even begin to tell you how blessed I am,” said Casey. “I just thank God everyday for the talent He gave me and the drive to succeed I’ve been blessed with. I’m just loving life right now.”

With his dreams finally becoming reality, the “Music-man” is now focusing his obsession on writing his own music down in Nashville, Tennessee, where he currently resides. Living each day as if it were his last, Casey Muessigmann is on his way to reaching his goal of making it “big” in the music industry. Casey continues to live life following his own personal motto, “Dream big, live big.”

“My love of music is something I can only describe as ‘overwhelming.’ It’s an obsession. It’s a curse and a blessing all rolled into one. It’s the alarm clock ringing in my ears when I wake up, and it’s the melody of a Jason Aldean song when I lay my head down at night. Music has become a part of my life in such a way, that I just can’t imagine life without it. Music has literally become a part of my soul.”

~ by Jordan on .