Trending on Billboard One of country music’s most compelling, neo-traditional new vocalists grew up 45 minutes north of hip-hop hotbed Atlanta. Woodstock, Georgia-born Kenny Whitmire grew up hearing the rock and country sounds his pastor and musician father would play around the house, while also soaking in the rap music flowing through his school’s football locker room. By high school, Whitmire was lured by the sounds of some of country music’s most revered artists. “I was just so blown away by the vocal,” Whitmire says. “What draws me in first is someone’s voice. In my opinion, you can’t beat Vince Gill, Keith Whitley and Merle Haggard singing. I was pretty much caught from the get-go on that stuff.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news Whitmire is signed to label MCA, home to artists including Gill, Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, and Carrie Underwood.…