Award Winning Songwriter's Alabama Sushi with Caramelized Bacon

Alabama Sushi with Caramelized Bacon

1 pack of Lit’l Smokies® (preferably pork sausages, but beef also works)
1 package of Bryan® bacon
1 heaping cup of light brown sugar
Line a sheet pan with foil (this makes for easy clean up).Take the bacon strips out of package and slice twice through the pack, making each strip into three equal pieces. Wrap each sausage with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place them on sheet pan and sprinkle each very generously with the brown sugar. Bake for approximately one hour or until the bacon is brown and caramelized in a preheated 375 degree oven. Remove from sheet pan with tongs and place in a serving dish. (It’s important that the brown sugar is caramelized. Just make sure it’s dark brown and the bacon is done.) Chris Tompkins, Nashville TN

Chris Tompkins is one of the most in demand songwriters in Nashville today, who truly touched our family. I hope you enjoy the story below that is very dear to me.

Chris Tompkins dreamed of becoming a professional songwriter; and as a student at Coffee High School in Alabama, he developed his vocals, honed in on his piano playing, and marched in the school band. Practice and hard work paid off, as Chris landed a gig as a full time demo sessions keyboard player and co-writing with some of the best in Muscle Shoals.

Along the way he met a physician in Florence Alabama, who believed in him, supported his efforts, encouraged him to chase his dreams – he touched him. But then Chris and his songs longed to be heard on the Row in Nashville, so in the summer of 2000 at age 22, Chris made the move and got his first publishing deal.
In 2004, Chris penned his first Top 20 hit single “Me And Emily”, followed with his smash hit “Before He Cheats,” recorded by American Idol winner Carrie Underwood. The song topped the country singles chart in 2007 and remained there for a total of five weeks and won Best Country Song at the 2007 People’s Choice Awards, ASCAP’s Song of the Year in 2007 and Country Song of the Year at the 2008 Grammy ceremony. It also has the distinction of being the first Country song to have over 2 million digital download sales. Armed with his first #1 hit, Chris was suddenly one of Nashville’s most sought-after songwriters.

Tompkins’ next No. 1 single came in 2011 with Chris Young‘s hit ‘Voices.’ In addition, Tompkins has had singles released by Kenny Chesney (‘Ain’t Back Yet’), Jimmy Buffett (‘Bama Breeze’), Steel Magnolia (‘Bulletproof’), Blake Wise (‘Cornfields’), Little Big Town (‘Shut Up Train’), Gary Allan (‘Kiss Me When I’m Down’), Chuck Wicks (‘Old School’), Jack Ingram (‘Seein’ Stars,’ featuring Patty Griffin), Whitney Duncan (‘Skinny Dippin”), Hank Williams, Jr. (‘That’s How We Do It in Dixie’), Plain White T’s (“Welcome To Mystery” ), Luke Bryant (“Drunk on You”), and Scotty McCreery (‘The Trouble With Girls’); plus a slew of album cuts by the likes of Trace Adkins, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, and Kellie Pickler. At the 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards, Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw debuted their duet “Feel Like A Rockstar” which was written by Tompkins.

But it was a song he penned called “Touch,” which was produced by Buddy Cannon and recorded by Donnie and Marie Osmond that will forever be etched in my heart. That song was written as a tribute to that orthopaedic surgeon he met in Florence Alabama many years before, who never stopped believing in him. The doctor, who with his wife, Teresa hosted a Grammy send-off party for Chris at their home so that all of the Shoals friends could honor the home town boy who had made it to the big-time. That doctor who had been there for the yet to be discovered hit maker was my brother, Dr. John T. Murphy, Jr., who slipped off to Heaven way too soon. Chris Tompkins once again made my brother very proud I feel quite sure, and our family is very touched by this moving tribute to his life by one of Nashville’s finest.