West Virginia native Tom Breiding has, through music, captured the gritty, hard-working persona of the American steelworker. Even though Breiding, 38, now lives in McMurray, he continues to sing about the struggling steel industry that so many families were dependent upon decades ago - and today. Surprisingly, Breiding has never worked in a steel mill. Neither have his parents. But Breiding was aware of the industry's decline, especially in his hometown of Wheeling, and he was inspired to carry the tale to the public in a powerful and entertaining way. Breiding has become a musical spokesman for mill workers, telling tales of hardship and perseverance via his personal brand of American folk rock. The artist says he draws fuel from the dignity and reliance of the American steel worker and from acquaintances who have struggled to survive in the trade. The result was 'American Son,' Breiding's latest, four-song album. Through music, Breiding portrays the state of the industry and reflects the stern lifestyle of the people who have or still work in it. 'The mills were more of a visual thing for me,' Breiding said. 'You see those mills lighting up the sky; it's just beautiful.' The self-taught musician said his songwriting technique is basic, drawn from the manner in which the steel industry has impacted his life. Breiding said he never learned to read music. He primarily relies on feeling and emotion when he writes. His most recent songs tell a story of Americans working hard to preserve their families and their country. The opening song, 'End of the Line,' demonstrates Breiding's rich voice and powerful lyrical imagery and portrays a dying breed of mill worker. 'While his prayers went to heaven, the jobs went to hell. Now that big old mill is just an empty shell. He tries to make ends meet the best he can. He's waiting for an answer. Lord help that man,' he sings. Breiding incorporates experiences from his past in an acoustic ballad titled 'Take It From Me,' which details a fictitious meeting with a stranger left unemployed when the mill shut down. In the chorus, the unfortunate stranger tells Breiding about the hard lesson he learned when his mill career suddenly ended. 'Son, you're young, you've got to stay tough. This world owes you nothing and nothing comes free. The day a man stops working is the day he starts losing all he was working for. This I know, take it from me.' As Breiding works his opinions into the stories, the music takes on a natural feel. Breiding said his style has been compared to some American rock icons since most of his songs tell stories, but he dismisses that as coincidence. 'There are a few guys I try to emulate and they just happen to be the male singer-songwriters - Springsteen, Petty and Mellencamp,' he said. Breiding said he admires singers of that genre and their collective gift of presenting strong imagery. Breiding expresses strong emotions in a laid-back groove on the album's title track, 'American Son,' promoting the idea that everyone's hometown environment affects his or her development as a person. In the song, Breiding alludes to the impact of foreign corporations on domestic steel and American jobs. Breiding employs the perspective of a Gulf War veteran to set the mood. The album's closing song, 'This Town,' relates directly to Breiding's early life in his hometown and how his experiences there made him who he is today. 'That song is very specific. I was one of the ones saying, ÔGod I have to get out of here.'' Breiding said. 'Then you grow up and mature and look back at some of the people that stayed, and they are some of my closest friends. 'I just think it's very admirable, those people that stayed. That alone makes them worth singing about. I'm just a guy that grew up in an area that happened to survive on steel. I'm proud of where I came from and I just hate to see it go.' Breiding said his hometown, an area once booming with steel production, now struggles to survive. 'As I got older, the decline began and now it's to the point that the only thing that is keeping that economy alive down there is the mills ... ,' he said. 'It hasn't gone yet and that's what I'm singing about. I'm trying to make people aware that there are communities like this here in Monessen and Beaver County and the Ohio Valley ... ' Breiding said his songs are not about his own hardships but of the heartache of others. 'I don't want to sound like I've had hard times. I've been blessed,' Breiding said. Ironically, the decline of the industry recently did hit close to home for Breiding when the steel mill where his brother worked shut down three weeks after the release of 'American Son.' That is the nightmare Breiding is trying to prevent through his musical efforts. 'The steel industry was the first thing in my lifetime where I could say if we do something about this maybe my hometown could survive,' he said. Breiding said songwriting, although primitive at first, came natural to him because he writes about his feelings. The musician said he found his niche when he wrote 'Railroad Town,' a breakthrough song featured on his debut 20-song release titled 'Guitar and Pen.' Breiding said his love for music and his passion about the steel industry is evident in his music, and that those who have heard him perform have extended gratitude. Breiding said his interest in writing original material about the steel industry began when he moved to Pittsburgh in the mid-1980s after playing in rock cover bands. A teacher at St. Thomas Moore Elementary School, Breiding says music is his true calling. 'The important thing to me is to keep making music on my own and to do good things with it,' he continued. Breiding's most recent unreleased work includes tracks about the coalfields of West Virginia. Although not familiar with that industry, Breiding said he was anxious to learn about it. Breiding will continue to rely on his roots, and he expresses that belief through the final words of his latest album: 'Who you are is where you come from.'

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