Openly Gay Country Singer Sparks a Buzz on the Web

Steve Grand isn't the first openly gay male country singer, but he is the first to be gaining significant recognition. The Chicago resident has released 'All-American Boy,' a song he wrote and went into debt filming a music video for. The unsigned singer says he "gave everything" for this song and video.

Reaction has been swift and, so far, very positive. BuzzFeed picked up on the video and it has since spread to multiple news outlets. Grand's Facebook page -- opened on July 1 -- already has 25,000 'likes.' 'All-American Boy' is available for download at Grand's Bandcamp page.

The singer writes:

To not tell this story is to let my soul die. It is all I believe in. It is all I hold dear. We have all longed for someone we can never have... we all have felt that ache for our ‎#allamericanboy

first original song and music video. I gave everything for this. If my story makes even a couple people feel less alone in their aching, all the blood, sweat, tears, and soul I put into this project makes it worth it. Thanks for watching.

Uploaded last Tuesday (July 2), 'All-American Boy' already has nearly 500,000 views on YouTube (watch the video here). Like the song, it tells a story of unrequited love. Grand and another male break away from a party for some romance and skinny dipping, but once they return to the campfire party, the other guy acts like they're just friends, even kissing on a girl. Warning: The video does include small amounts of male nudity.

Thus far, Chely Wright is the most well-known country singer to admit to being gay. She made the confession in 2010 after a lengthy career. Wright -- who has since married and birthed two children with Lauren Blitzer -- says she has not been received warmly by the country music industry.