By Andrew W. Griffin

pop writer

If you ever catch some of the rootsy, regional country music on certain radio stations in Oklahoma or Texas, there's a chance you've caught a song by the Scott Wiggins Band, a top-notch group from New Braunfels, Texas, that released an album in 2007, "Burn," and is still producing some stellar singles like "Perfect Way To Fall," currently in the Top 10 of the Texas Music chart.

Not bad, eh?

But who is Wiggins and what about his band?

POP recently caught up with Wiggins from his home in New Braunfels.

Ever since he was a boy, Texas singer-songwriter Wiggins was drawn to music. While he never sang in a church choir or at school, he found other outlets.

"I sang in the backseat. But I didn't really start singing until I was in high school," said Wiggins, remembering the self-described "pawn-shop guitar" he bought growing up in Pleasanton, Texas.

And when injury struck, sidelining his high school baseball, football and track career, Wiggins turned to that pawn shop guitar and began strumming more seriously. And in 2001, Wiggins was asked to sing at his high school graduation.

Soon after that, Wiggins entered the Colgate Country Showdown in nearby San Antonio and won. Later he performed at the state level and did well there, too.

But his move to Corpus Christi near the Gulf of Mexico culminated into the formation of the Scott Wiggins Band.

Armed with his guitar, Wiggins, along with his drumming pal John Diaz met up with several other musicians -- guitarists Jason Farjardo and Ricky Diaz and bassist Ryan Fedako. Wiggins finally had a full-fledged band and before long, a demo tape.

"The first album was "Only See..." and the first single, "Country Girl," did OK," Wiggins said.

All the while, Wiggins and the band were playing in Corpus Christi as often as they could. And that particular market is far enough from San Antonio and Houston that a decent band could gain a rapid fan base. Once "Only See..." was released in 2005, it solidified the Scott Wiggins Band as a Texas country group to be reckoned with.

"I got gigs all over Corpus, and before long, we became the hometown band," Wiggins said.