How Does Charley Crockett Continue To Fly Under The Radar When His Concerts Look Like This?

It’s about time that Charley Crockett broke out in a big way.

If country music was ever looking for its modern outlaw-cowboy type to come along, it’s safe to say that he’s been hiding in plain sight this entire time. And frankly, it’s a damn shame that an artist as talented and original as Crockett continues to fly under the radar. The Texas native has always done things his own way, mixing the stylings of country and blues to craft his very signature and personal sound. And might I add that the man stays busy? Since 2015, Crockett has released over 15 albums, with his most recent projects being $10 Cowboy, $10 Cowboy Chapter II – Visions of Dallas and his 2025 release Lonesome Drifter.

That last one is riddled with certified hits (in my personal opinion).

There’s really no one like Charley Crockett in the music industry. He bet on himself when he self-released his debut album back in 2015, and through his hard work and persistent and consistent way of going about music, things have only gone up for him since then. And while his audience has grown considerably over the past couple years, he’s still on the tier that’s below “household name,” which makes absolutely no sense to me.

Could it be one of those classic conversations of Charley Crockett being born into the wrong era? If he would have come along 30 or 40 (or even 50) years ago, would he be considered one of country music’s cornerstones? Those questions are always tough to answer, but at the very least, the man behind songs like “Hey Mr. Nashville” and “Game I Can’t Win” should be one of the biggest acts in the modern day.

The good news is that Charley Crockett has embraced the outlaw-outlier mentality. I brought up those two songs of his right there because that pair specifically calls out the establishment: The Nashville Machine. He’s not in it, nor does he want to be. And that’s the cruel, unfair, exhausting way the music industry works. To be big, Crockett should be in the machine. But to be himself, he can’t be.

To be clear, Charley Crockett is doing just fine. Just as he rolls out quality albums at a pace like no one else, the Texas native is a touring machine. He recently played a show at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California… and forgive me for sounding like a broken record, but I just don’t see how someone that puts on a show like he does isn’t one of the biggest stars on the planet.

Take this performance of his 2020 song “Paint It Blue” from his album Welcome to Hard Times, for instance. There’s limited stage supplements (his name illuminated behind him is about it), and yet he puts on a mesmerizing show for the four-minute duration of the song.

“Paint It Blue”

How about another from that very night?

As I said earlier, his latest album Lonesome Drifter is chock full of contagious riffs and layered lyricism. One of those is this incredible song called “One Trick Pony.” This might be one of my favorite songs that’s been released this year. It’s catchy. It’s rhythmic. It’s strong. It’s… Charley Crockett.

“One Trick Pony”

Do yourself a favor and add Charley Crockett into your regular, country music rotation. Not only does he deserve to be there… he’s 100 times better than most artists that fill up “country radio,” if you can even call it that anymore.

You won’t hear Charley Crockett on the radio, which in modern times of music is a strange, unfortunate compliment. It’s a shame that he’s not reveled as one of the genre’s best, because he is. And it’s about time country music fans start treating him as such.

“Welcome To Hard Times”

The post How Does Charley Crockett Continue To Fly Under The Radar When His Concerts Look Like This? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.