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Aug 20, 2024 · For those who say country music died in the '90s, here are five independent country artists who are keeping the genre alive and well.
- Clayton Edwards
- 4 min
- News Writer
- Kendell Marvel
- Ryan Beaver
- Josh Ward
- Sarah Darling
- Jenny Tolman
- Sunny Sweeney
- Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors
- Josh Grider
- Gwen Sebastian
- Maggie Rose
Kendell Marvelhas been one of Nashville's most beloved writers for decades now. His writing career includes tunes for everybody from Chris Stapleton (a frequent collaborator) and George Strait to Blake Shelton and Jake Owen. But in late 2017, Marvel finally stepped out on his own as an artist, independently releasing Lowdown & Lonesome. Somewhere b...
Ryan Beaver got his musical start at Texas State University in San Marcos, and though his Texas country ties remain strong (he's written tunes for Kyle Park and Rob Baird and co-written with artists like Wade Bowen and Brian Keane), Beaver made the move to Nashville years ago. His 2016 album Rxis one of the most under-appreciated albums to come out...
Considering it's been almost three years since Josh Ward let a record out, you may be wondering what's so timely about his appearance on this list. It turns out that his 2015 record Holding Me Togetherhas done so well at Texas radio that the cowboy country singer just kept riding the success. Dating back to 2012, Ward has now eight consecutive No. ...
Sarah Darling's talent is no secret in Nashville. And in fact, she spent about five years at Broken Bow Records from 2008-13. She and the label parted ways around the height of the bro country fad, and she set out on the process of writing and recording her gorgeous 2017 independent record Dream Country. With the increasing popularity of streaming ...
The neo-traditional corner of country music has never been stronger, and Jenny Tolman is a great example of it. With whip-smart writing and a buttery smooth vocal with just the right southern flip, Tolman's found her sweet spot. After all, it's not easy to make music your grandma would love with lyrics your average 20-something resonates with. Work...
Sunny Sweeney joins the list of incredibly talented women who no record label seems to be able to pin down. She's had stints with Big Machine and Republic Nashville, but the Texas native really found her stride when she went the independent route. In 2014, she released Provoked, and her fourth album Trophybecame one of the most critically-acclaimed...
Formed in 2005, Drew Holcomb and The Neighborsare some of the hardest working folks in the Americana/roots scene. You've probably heard their music in one of many popular TV shows throughout time, and the fact that they've sold well over 100,000 records on their own goes to show just how much the band's poignant lyrics resonate with fans. In 2017, ...
Josh Grider is gearing up for a big 2018 with the pending release of his new record Good People. The Texas-based, New Mexico born country singer has steadily built a following over the last 10 years with release after consistent release. Now, Grider takes the reins once again with a self-funded record comprising his strongest material to date. One ...
Gwen Sebastian has had one of the more interesting career arcs, but one that isn't entirely unfamiliar to a lot of Nashville acts. She released her first few projects on an independent label in the late 2000s before auditioning for The Voicein 2012. After the show, she struck up a friendship with coach Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. Sebastian s...
Stop me if you've heard this one — Maggie Rose is a phenomenally talented female artist who, once upon a time, had a deal with a major label. And while her 2013 debut Cut To Impressfared pretty well in the traditional scheme of things, she again fell victim to the typical schemings of the major system. But now she's back with a sound all her own, f...
Sep 5, 2023 · Not only is country music codifying its monopoly at the top of the charts, it's being done by independent and outright unsigned artists that came up solely from the strength of grassroots support.
- Cody Jinks. Cody Jinks' status absolutely skyrocketed over the past year. And hey, with endorsements from celebrities like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, it's not hard to see why.
- William Clark Green. William Clark Green is another one of those artists who just seems to be too busy being successful to care about inking a major label deal.
- Natalie Hemby. The woman behind some of your favorite Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town songs, Natalie Hemby can downright write good music. With the release of her solo debut Puxico, she proved she can downright sing good music, too.
- Mike Ryan. Following in the vein of other Texas acts like Cody Johnson, Mike Ryan has just about everything he needs in place to make a big splash. Between booking, management, publishing and radio promotions, he's just about set.
- Wyatt Flores. For many dedicated independent country fans, Wyatt Flores might seem like an extremely obvious choice. However, it doesn’t change the fact that he is one of the most exciting young artists in the genre today.
- Joel Adam Russell. It seems a bit tired to call an artist’s sound timeless; however, with Joel Adam Russell, it seems like there’s no other way to describe the Texas native.
- Low Gap. In an independent country scene that seems to be getting younger by the day, Low Gap stands out due to their age. At only 18 and 16 respectively, brothers Gus and Phin, already have a studio album released and a growing audience with almost 30k monthly Spotify listeners.
- Brennan Edwards. Brennan Edwards is definitely the newest artist to appear on this list. With his debut EP, Till the End of My Days, coming out just over a month ago on June 16, there’s nowhere to go but up for the Virginia singer/songwriter.
Jan 9, 2024 · Artists like Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton, followed by the likes of Zach Bryan, Sierra Ferrell and Tyler Childers, have given listeners a refreshing alternative to the...
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Apr 3, 2024 · Instead of pandering to executives at Nashville record labels trying to make a quick buck, artists like Colter Wall and Tyler Childers, more mainstream names in the broader country...
