Aaron Young can't stop writing new songs.

"I'm sort of plagued with it," he said. "I write every day, no matter what I'm doing."

It's part of a work ethic that came from growing up on a pecan orchard in Mississippi.

"I don't know if you've picked pecans to make some money, but you need a lot of them to make a pound, so you're out there a long time," he explained. "It taught me how to stay disciplined at something [and] develop patience."

It's Young's patience and discipline that helped him through rough times, like being dropped from a record label and being homeless in San Francisco.

This Friday night, the currently West Sacramento-native soul singer will bring his uplifting lyrics and passionate vocals to Marilyn's on K. Tickets cost $12, and the show begins at 9:30 p.m.

Young's affinity toward music developed from growing up in the South. "Singing in a [Southern Baptist] church choir allowed me to start singing," Young said. "That's where it all began."

In high school, Young said he had already thought about pursuing a career in music.

Back in the 90s, he started a group in high school called Mixture, which earned a record contract and a number of fans. The group's success included opening for platinum selling R&B artist Brian McKnight.

Mixture's record label moved them into a record executive's house in San Francisco.

While in the Bay Area, the group collaborated on a song with Northern California hip-hop icon E-40. Their single "Pop Ya Collar," which also featured Messy Marv and San Quinn, received radio play in the Bay Area.

But then their record label folded and the band broke up. Young was left with the choice of moving back to Mississippi or remain homeless in San Francisco.

"I stayed out here and by staying it made me a homeless guy because I didn't have a place [to stay]," he said. "I bounced around quite a bit until I got another deal, and I went straight ever since."

Since then, Young has accomplished much more than "going straight." He's toured the East Coast with Grammy-award-winning pianist Billy Beck (of Ohio Players fame) in his band.

He's recorded a self-produced album, They Call Me AY, in 2007. Since moving to West Sacramento (conveniently located near San Francisco where he cut his teeth and a short flight away from Los Angeles where a number of major record labels reside, he says), he's also won the 2008 V101.1 FM Homegrown Soul competition.

"That got me where I am right now," he said of the competition. "It got me on the radio, and got me connections with a record label."

That label was Sacramento's DIG Music. Though the label has not signed Young, several people who work for the company are guiding him, including Jeff Trager.

"I want to emphasize the fact that what separates him from everybody else is his material," said Trager, DIG's director of artists and repertoire. "And it's only going to get better because he works at it."

Now 30, Young is currently working on a follow-up album, and playing shows with Vernon "Ice" Black, who will be in Young's band on Friday. Black's credits include playing guitar with such artists as Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock and Aretha Franklin.

"I think he's going to be discovered by some labels as soon as they come out to see and hear him," Trager added. "If a kid has a chance to make it, I think it's a kid like Aaron Young."

*photographs courtesy Aaron Young