A songwriter since the age of 12, Ludwig grew up in Vancouver. Every weekend, he'd venture into the Canadian backcountry with his family, making the trip up Highway 99 to his parents' cabin on Whistler Mountain. Those drives were filled with music, and it was there - gazing out the window as the car pulled away from the Pacific Ocean coastline and headed toward the snow-capped peaks - that he fell in love with country music. 'I didn't grow up on a ranch, riding horses', he notes. 'What drew me to country music were the backwoods, the mountains, and the outdoors. It was a style of music that truly fit the landscapes I loved'. 'Highway 99' nods to those influential treks into the northern wilderness. Written and recorded in Nashville during breaks in his busy filming schedule, it's the sound of a longtime musician staking his claim in the genre that's always captivated him.