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3rd October 2024What You Need to Know About the Bonobo
5th October 2024Charley Crockett’s songs draw upon hardship to create compelling songs of social commentary. Beginning his career on street corners and subway cars with blues, boogie woogie, and classic country, Charley would earn his living playing his Gibson guitar to support himself while traveling around with just enough gear in one suitcase to stay afloat.
He learned from those years of survival how to keep an audience spellbound; today his performances still exude energy and urgency that made his name famous.
He’s a Texan
Crockett returned to Texas after busking in New York and living abroad (Paris, Spain and Morocco) to release A Stolen Jewel, an album which celebrates Texas musical traditions. For this work he received the Dallas Observer music award for Best Blues Act.
He’s now a touring machine, performing over 200 shows annually and an itinerary that would overwhelm most musicians. But with Jon Folk as his promoter and Nashville-based David Macias as Thirty Tigers founder allowing artists to own their master recordings backing him up, this schedule would seem impossible for most musicians.
Crockett has made his mark as an Americana artist through a blend of bluesy soulful Americana music and folk singing styles that appeal to all types of audiences – be they bluesy soulful Americana artists, folk singers or simply Texans. Through busking experiences in different cities as well as his experiences of tough times during his childhood he brings an additional eclectic quality that make his music accessible for all kinds of listeners.
He’s a storyteller
Crockett’s storytelling talent sets his music apart from much other country music today. His lyrics capture the spirit and struggles of an entire culture while alluding to his own journey from street musician to rising star in America. Furthermore, his unique blend of genres creates his signature style of country music.
His latest album captures both his life experiences and their attendant feelings of uncertainty. From singing about doomed romances or crimes of passion, to telling personal tales in songs with lyrics ringing with truth.
Crockett is known for his lively performances of Gulf Coast Boogie-Woogie music that celebrates Texas landscape and his ability to mix styles without falling into nostalgia; his songs show this through his signature Gulf Coast Boogie-Woogie sound which blends border town brass with honky tonk piano, gunlinger ballads featuring tumbleweed-covered gunlinger ballads layered over Bayou jazz and Bayou blues influences. Crockett has an in-depth knowledge of musical history as well as what inspired its creation;
He’s a guitar player
Crockett is an incredible guitar player. His music creates a magical, transcendental space through songs and shows; audiences erupt in applause when his musical styles mix. His songs range from country, blues and jazz genres with finger snapping or claps creating rhythm; as well as lyrics about personal experiences from his life story.
Crockett learned music as a street musician, which enabled him to quickly adapt and learn new styles of playing music. His repertoire ranges from big band-era crooners, bayou jazz, swamp pop and anything in between – often including references to Dallas. His no-nonsense approach serves him well on stage – creating engaging shows for audiences everywhere he performs.
He’s a songwriter
Crockett’s skills as a songwriter are undeniable; he has released ten albums in six years and headlines dream venues like the Grand Ole Opry regularly, showcasing them to packed theaters with standing room-only crowds; his sets consist of songs spanning his expansive catalog without pausing for awkward stage banter or falling back on tired tropes; instead he takes all that’s best about traditional American music and gives it new life with an approachable yet genre-agnostic approach that transcends boundaries.
His music echoes the eccentric life that led him to busking as both livelihood and lifestyle. He traveled throughout the U.S., sleeping on subway cars and Central Park benches while jamming enough songs to earn himself the poetic moniker “Man From Waco.” Eventually this journey led him to create what is known as Gulf and Western music – an aesthetic style which blends country, blues, New Orleans jazz, and other genres into an eclectic soundscape.
