Charley Crockett

Biography

Matthew Charles "Charley" Crockett (born March 24, 1984) is an American traditional country music singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor. He has released 23 projects, including 17 studio albums since 2014, with The Man from Waco×The Man From Waco9 September 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1The Man From Waco Theme0:582Cowboy Candy3:193Time of the Cottonwood Trees2:534Just Like Honey2:565I’m Just a Clown4:146Black Sedan3:247The Man From Waco3:458Trinity River4:309Tom Turkey3:3310Odessa3:0411All the Way From Atlanta3:2612Horse Thief Mesa2:2213July Jackson3:0214The Man From Waco Theme0:3315Name on a Billboard3:01, $10 Cowboy×$10 Cowboy26 April 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1$10 Cowboy3:362America3:233Hard Luck & Circumstances3:054Good at Losing3:445Gettin’ Tired Again2:506Spade2:307Diamond in the Rough3:188Ain’t Done Losing Yet3:199Solitary Road3:3110City of Roses3:3711Lead the Way3:5912Midnight Cowboy2:57, Lonesome Drifter×Lonesome Drifter14 March 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Lonesome Drifter3:022Game I Can’t Win3:223Jamestown Ferry3:264Easy Money3:025Under Neon Lights3:096This Crazy Life3:027The Death of Bill Bailey3:068Never No More3:349Life of a Country Singer3:0010One Trick Pony3:2811Night Rider3:1912Amarillo by Morning2:40, and Dollar a Day all breaking into the US Billboard 200 in 2022, 2024, and 2025, respectively.

Early life

Charley was born in San Benito, Texas, to Branton "Brant" Eddens Crockett and Jan Onda Applehans. Crockett's paternal grandfather was a chemical engineer and rancher, Charles Hayes "Charlie" Crockett Sr. (1925–2019), and his paternal great grandfather was Texas senator George Clark Purl Sr. (1892–1943). His mother is of Volga German descent. His third great-grandfather was Jacob Goodwin Crockett of New Hampshire. Crockett is also the nephew of Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Famer and former Texas Longhorns Defensive Back, Tom Campbell, through his father's second marriage.
Raised by a single mother with an older brother and sister, Crockett grew up in a trailer park in Los Fresnos, Texas. He has claimed to be a descendant of Davy Crockett, mixed-race, and Jewish. His mother relocated the family to Dallas, and Crockett spent the summer months with his uncle, who lived in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

2001–2011: Start as an itinerant

Upon leaving high school at the age of 17, Crockett decided to travel with his guitar acquired by his mother from a pawn shop. Crockett noted, "I taught myself how to play and started to write songs immediately, without any chord knowledge or anything. I didn't know what key I was in for 12 years, but my ear was really good, and I could play in any key and any chord. I just didn't know what it was." His early musical influences came from hearing hip hop, and he became fascinated with the samples used. Crockett said, "I got into Curtis Mayfield through samples of his songs by other artists, and Nina Simone was through a sample. Even J. Cole, I was listening to a song of his ("Kenny Lofton"), and it was based on the sample from the Manhattans version of 'Hurt'".
Crockett played music on the streets in the French Quarter of New Orleans and in Deep Ellum, Dallas, as a teenager. Later, he traveled further afield by hitchhiking and riding freight trains, and by 2009, he was busking in New York City. As he improved his performance skills, Crockett organized a street band called the Trainrobbers, which caught the attention of a Manhattan-based representative for Sony Music, Nell Mulderry. She signed the 26-year-old Crockett to a two-year management contract, although he rejected a publishing deal. Eventually tired of life on the streets and the pending expiration of the contract, Crockett relocated to Northern California, where he combined working on farms and communes with performing for three more years. Crockett then existed on the streets in Paris, France, for a year, and briefly lived in Spain and Morocco.

2015–2024: Independent releases

In 2015, Crockett returned to Texas and after settling in Dallas, self-released his debut album, A Stolen Jewel×A Stolen Jewel15 May 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Cold Hearted Woman2:542March Wind's Gonna Blow My Blues All Away2:243A Stolen Jewel3:444Drivin' Nails in My Coffin2:365Trinity River3:556Whiteman's Interlude1:037What the Preacher Say2:378Juanita3:039Walkin' the Floor Over You3:5510I Ain't from Memphis3:1511I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday2:3012Cold Water2:5813Bei mir bist du schoen2:47, in May. He recorded the album with friend Kyle Madrigal in the loft of a barn in Northern California on a farm the pair worked at, whilst the owner was away for the winter. It landed him the Dallas Observer Music Award for Best Blues Act. The lo-fi collection contained a cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers' "Juanita". Crockett also befriended Leon Bridges at this time, before Crockett released a blues-dominated album, In The Night×In the Night6 June 2016 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracksA1In the Night3:56A2Baby 1-2-32:10A3I Am Not Afraid2:45A4Look What You Done1:58A5I’m Workin’2:33A6Silver Dagger2:26A7What’s Made Milwaukee Famous2:20B1Cry for Me (alternative version)3:06B2Ain’t Got No Time to Lose2:33B3Out of Bad Luck4:11B4Wasted Days and Wasted Nights2:19B5After Laughter3:52B6Downtrodden Man3:05, in 2016. In The Night contained a selection of Crockett-penned numbers, along with a cover of his hometown hero Freddy Fender's "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights", as well as Jerry Lee Lewis' 1968 hit, "What's Made Milwaukee Famous". Fort Worth Star-Telegram called In the Night "an impressive calling card, full of Crockett's plaintive soulfulness and swinging tempos". Crockett spent the next year touring to promote his work, playing over 125 shows in total. He toured with the Turnpike Troubadours, Lucero, Shinyribs, Samantha Fish, and Old 97's, among others.
After relocating to Austin, Texas, Crockett's next release was a collection of covers of country songs, Lil' G.L.'s Honky Tonk Jubilee (2017), which was issued on Thirty Tigers. Tracks included the Roy Acuff-penned "Night Train to Memphis", Tanya Tucker’s "The Jamestown Ferry", and Hank Williams' "Honky Tonkin'", all incorporating Crockett's clipped, hiccuped Texan drawl. Other tracks on the album were originally recorded by Ernest Tubb, Loretta Lynn, and Webb Pierce ("I Ain't Never").
In 2018, he released Lonesome as a Shadow, a collection of purely original songs. It was recorded at Sam C. Phillips Recording Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, and produced by Matt Ross-Spang. The opening track, "I Wanna Cry", was written for his sister, Brandi, who had died from a methamphetamine overdose. The album was dedicated to Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas. Following its April release date, Crockett toured again backed by his band the Blue Drifters. His dates included venues such as the House of Blues in Houston, Washington, DC's 9:30 Club, The Mint in Los Angeles, and The Fillmore in San Francisco. In addition, he performed at festivals such as the Wheatland Music Festival, Portland, Oregon's Pickathon, and Austin City Limits Music Festival.
In late 2018, Crockett issued Lil' G.L.'s Blue Bonanza. Crockett noted, "Lil G.L. is my side name, like Hank [Williams] had Luke the Drifter. I use it for all my side projects and cover projects." He explained the moniker was given to him by a local blues drummer, Jay Moeller, in reference to the obscure rhythm and blues singer G. L. Crockett. AllMusic stated "Lil G.L.'s Blue Bonanza is a companion of sorts to Charley Crockett's 2017 Lil G.L.'s Honky Tonk Jubilee". The album was primarily another compilation of cover versions, although Crockett's definition of the blues encompasses tracks including Jimmy Reed's "Bright Lights, Big City", Tom T. Hall's "That's How I Got to Memphis", and Danny O'Keefe's "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues". In addition, Crockett covered work by Ernest Tubb, George Jones, and T-Bone Walker. Lil G.L.'s Blue Bonanza peaked at number 10 in the Billboard Blues Albums chart.
Crockett released The Valley on September 20, 2019. The album features the single "Borrowed Time", which was co-written with Evan Felker of Turnpike Troubadours.
Field Recordings, Vol. 1 was released on April 3, 2020, and is a mixtape of 30 low-fidelity covers and originals recorded in Mendocino County, California. Crockett and Kyle Madrigal recorded the collection over the previous year using a four-track recorder, an old CB radio microphone, and an old rotary telephone. Crockett said the songs came "from my street stuff and folk tunes, stuff I wrote that might not necessarily be best for these studio albums".
Crockett released his seventh album, Welcome to Hard Times×Welcome to Hard Times21 June 2020 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Welcome to Hard Times3:062Run Horse Run2:413Don't Cry3:214Tennessee Special3:115Fool Somebody Else3:586Lily My Dear2:397Wreck Me2:278Heads You Win3:139Rainin' in My Heart3:5010Paint It Blue3:3711Blackjack County Chain2:3812The Man That Time Forgot2:5813The Poplar Tree3:32, on July 31, 2020. It was produced by Mark Neill and includes songwriting contributions from The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and singer/songwriter Pat McLaughlin. The album followed a life-threatening health scare in which he was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition that required heart surgery. It received glowing reviews, including from American Songwriter, who stated, "Crockett finds the sweet spot between country, soul, blues, and folk on deceptively modest songs, effortless in their easy-going groove", while Texas Monthly stated, "Crockett makes a beeline for the album's central theme: wily survival in a socially, politically, and economically rigged system."
On February 26, 2021, Crockett released his next album, titled 10 for Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand×10 for Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand26 February 2021 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Intro1:162Midnight Run3:513Just a Heart3:394In the Corner3:115Over There That’s Frank3:236Don’t Tell Me That2:467Lesson in Depression2:538Mighty Lonesome Man2:479So Did I3:3710Floor to Crawl2:4411Slim’s Lament3:27, a tribute album to James "Slim" Hand. It was met with critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, The Boot, Austin American-Statesman, Forbes, and American Songwriter among others.
Crockett released his ninth album, Music City USA×Music City USA17 September 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Honest Fight3:252I Need Your Love3:213The World Just Broke My Heart2:384Are We Lonesome Yet2:545This Foolish Game3:306Round This World3:067Music City USA3:028Just So You Know3:149Lies and Regret2:3110I Won’t Cry3:3511Smoky3:0812Muddy Water2:55135182:5714Only Game in Town4:0115Hanger On2:3616Skip a Rope2:57, on September 17, 2021 via Son of Davy/Thirty Tigers. The lead single, "I Need Your Love×I Need Your Love9 July 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I Need Your Love3:21", was featured on Rolling Stone as well as Brooklyn Vegan, who called it "a sweet and sultry slice of southern soul" and The Boot, who named it "a dose of horn-filled soul". Later that month, he earned the 2021 Emerging Artist of the Year award at the Americana Music Honors and Awards in Nashville. Crockett closed out the year with his debut on Austin City Limits, which aired in October on PBS. He followed that up a few months later with an appearance on CBS This Morning's "Saturday Sessions", performing "I Need Your Love", "Music City USA", and "I Feel for You×I Feel for You4 March 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I Feel for You3:03" from Music City USA.
In March 2022, he announced Jukebox Charley, a new album of cover songs and his third album release in just over a year. The fourth installment of his Lil' G.L. covers series, the album was released on April 22 and featured country tunes from Tom T. Hall, Willie Nelson, George Jones, and more.
In September 2022, Crockett released his 11th album, and his first concept album, with The Man from Waco×The Man From Waco9 September 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1The Man From Waco Theme0:582Cowboy Candy3:193Time of the Cottonwood Trees2:534Just Like Honey2:565I’m Just a Clown4:146Black Sedan3:247The Man From Waco3:458Trinity River4:309Tom Turkey3:3310Odessa3:0411All the Way From Atlanta3:2612Horse Thief Mesa2:2213July Jackson3:0214The Man From Waco Theme0:3315Name on a Billboard3:01, featuring 14 original songs. Crockett performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on December 9, 2022.
In February 2023, Crockett performed at NPR for a Tiny Desk Concert. It was followed by an appearance on Comedy Central's The Daily Show in April, where he was interviewed by the host Jordan Klepper, along with a live performance of "Name on a Billboard" from his 2022 album, The Man from Waco. Later that summer, he was on the cover of Texas Monthly, for a lengthy profile detailing the artist's background and rise to fame. In September, he released Live from the Ryman, an album and concert film of his sold-out headline debut at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium recorded on November 14, 2022. He was also the 2023 recipient of the Stephen Bruton Award at the Lone Star Film Festival, which celebrates exceptional artists whose careers are anchored not only in music, but also include artistic expression in film.
In early 2024, Crockett announced that his album $10 Cowboy×$10 Cowboy26 April 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1$10 Cowboy3:362America3:233Hard Luck & Circumstances3:054Good at Losing3:445Gettin’ Tired Again2:506Spade2:307Diamond in the Rough3:188Ain’t Done Losing Yet3:199Solitary Road3:3110City of Roses3:3711Lead the Way3:5912Midnight Cowboy2:57 would be released on April 26. He celebrated this with another appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he performed the album's title track. In July 2024, Crockett released Visions of Dallas, an album of six cover songs and six originals, billed as chapter two to $10 Cowboy.

2025: First major label deal, Island Records releases

In January 2025, Crockett signed with Island Records, and released his first album via the label, Lonesome Drifter×Lonesome Drifter14 March 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Lonesome Drifter3:022Game I Can’t Win3:223Jamestown Ferry3:264Easy Money3:025Under Neon Lights3:096This Crazy Life3:027The Death of Bill Bailey3:068Never No More3:349Life of a Country Singer3:0010One Trick Pony3:2811Night Rider3:1912Amarillo by Morning2:40, on March 14. The album included 12 tracks, co-produced with Shooter Jennings, including a new version of his cover of "The Jamestown Ferry" and a cover of George Strait's "Amarillo by Morning". In June 2025 Crockett would announce two additional records would be coming while on The Joe Rogan Experience; the first being a studio album Dollar a Day×Dollar A Day8 August 2025 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Dollar a Day1:572Crucified Son3:293Woman in a Bar2:484Ain’t That Right3:255Lone Star3:386El Paso to Denver2:437Santa Fe Ring3:008Age of the Ram (Theme)2:419I Stay Ready3:1910All Around Cowboy2:5811Tennessee Quick Cash4:1212Die With My Dreams On2:4513Ballad of a Lonesome Drifter3:0014Destroyed3:1015Alamosa3:48, which would drop August 8, 2025, and the second being a live album from his performance at the 2025 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on March 17, 2025, which featured over 50,000 in attendance for the performance, slated for a late 2025 or early 2026 release. He also announced the production of a movie he filmed in 2024 based around the $10 Cowboy album, with the film being of the same name, however, he left it up in the air as to whether it would be released or not.
On August 19, 2025, Crockett posted on Instagram about his frustrations with the double standards of the industry, calling out the hypocrisy of many who criticized Beyoncé's attempt to jump into the genre but remained silent during the past two decades about the pop music being injected into the genre through the bro country era with artists like Morgan Wallen. The post went viral and quickly garnered widespread media attention from outlets like Billboard and quickly received a shot on Twitter the same day from Gavin Adcock, who called him a "cosplay cowboy". On August 21, 2025, Crockett sent Adcock a copy of Dollar A Day as well as five dozen roses in an attempt to make amends, as they were both nearby in back-to-back nights. Adcock posted a response, sarcastically accepting the album and roses while falsely claiming that Crockett did not sell enough tickets and was forced to move down the street the night before. Crockett's show was actually rescheduled from a May date due to inclement weather, not a lack of ticket sales, as Crockett played to a sold-out concert crowd at a larger venue than the one originally planned. Crockett acknowledged the "cosplay cowboy" comment through a public social media post on February 8, 2026, wherein he also addressed his feelings on the current presidential administration as well as his feelings about immigration and classism in the United States.
On November 7, 2025 Crockett would be nominated for a Grammy once again. This time he would be nominated for the inaugural crowning of the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Country Album for his album Dollar a Day alongside Lukas Nelson, Willie Nelson, Zach Top, and Margo Price. A little over a week later Charley would take to social media, writing an open letter to The Recording Academy asking for his nomination to be given to the Turnpike Troubadours for their 2025 album The Price of Admission.
Age of the Ram, the third installment in his Sagebrush album trilogy, released on April 3, 2026.

2026: Return to being an independent artist

Following a 3 run series of albums from 2025–2026 for Island Records, Crockett would surprise release Clovis on April 28, 2026, a little over 3 weeks after the conclusion of his Sagebrush Trilogy of albums with Age of the Ram×Age of the Ram3 April 2026 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Life & Times of Billy McLane (Theme I)0:572Lonesome Dove3:043Rancho Deluxe (Main Theme)2:064My Last Drink of Wine3:205Fastest Gun Alive3:086Diamond Belle (Country Boy)2:327I Shot Jesse James2:498Life & Times of Billy McLane (Theme II)0:269Crazy Women Ridge3:3010Remembering Pat0:4611Sweet Mother Texas1:3612Kentucky Too Long3:3913Border Winds0:3314Rancho Deluxe (End Theme)2:0815Billy McLane3:1716Life & Times of Billy McLane (Theme III)0:4217Powder River0:4718Low Down Freedom3:0419Me & Shooter3:1320Cover My Trail Tonight3:42. The record would mark his first independent release since 2024's Visions of Dallas and his first fully independent, with no major distribution deal since 2016's In the Night.
On May 7, the record was pulled from release due to a contract dispute between Crockett and his former label, Island Records. Crockett in protest would start handing out CDs of the album for free at CMA Fest on June 5, and do the same at all of his concerts shortly thereafter.
On June 29, Crockett announced the record would return on July 3, 2026 in time for America's 250th Birthday after signing a distribution deal with Atlantic Records through their Atlantic Outpost imprint.
On July 9, 2026, Crockett confirmed via a statement to Rolling Stone that he had removed opening act Twin Temple from his Age of the Ram Tour due to their Satanic imagery.

Personal life

On New Year's Day 2020 Crockett began dating Taylor Grace, a fellow musician, after running into each other at The White Horse Saloon. They first met at Antone's in Austin, Texas at the end of 2018. They became engaged in January 2023 and they married in July 2024 at Willie Nelson's Luck Ranch in Spicewood, Texas.

Health issues

In January 2019, Crockett nearly died on his tour bus, which was formerly Willie Nelson's "The Redheaded Stranger", and had to undergo open-heart surgery. Pre-assessments for the surgery showed that Crockett had a congenital heart condition where his heart had two out of three aortic valve flaps fused together, which caused Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome. Surgeons placed a new valve in his heart that was obtained from a cow.

Legal issues

In March 2016, Crockett was convicted in Virginia for a August 2014 charge for possession of cannabis. He was denied entry into Canada in February 2026 due to the conviction, forcing him to cancel his planned tour in the country.

Political views

On February 8, 2026, Crockett took to Instagram, to criticize U.S. President Donald Trump, referring to him as a "grifter", and called for the deportation of Trump allies Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, going on to state "I truly believe this isn't a left or right issue. There's something else happening here."

Headlining

The Honky Tonk Jubilee Tour (2017)
Jukebox Charley Tour (2022)
The Man from Waco Tour (2022–2023)
The $10 Cowboy Tour (2024)
The Lonesome Drifter Tour (2025)
The Crooner and The Cowboy Tour (2025) (with Leon Bridges)
Age of the Ram Tour (2026)