Charley Crockett On Blurring The Lines Between Genres: “It’s Either Real Or It’s Not”

Charley Crockett country music
Brooks Burris

It’s no secret that Charley Crockett may be the hardest working man in the country music business, as he just dropped his 11th full length studio album, Lil’ G.L. Presents: Jukebox Charley, in only seven years.

The record is his fourth installment of his Lil’ G.L. cover series, which includes covers of Willie Nelson, Jerry Reed, George Jones, and so much more.

With that being said, he also made his third national TV appearance in the last seven months, appearing on CBS Mornings.

Profiled by Anthony Mason, Crockett details his humble yet rough beginnings as a homeless street performer, moving from Texas, to California, to Louisiana, and to New York, to cut his teeth on the streets in hopes of getting recognized.

A bit of an enigma, it’s tough to nail down Charley’s sound, which he describes and “Gulf & Western,” with shades of country, blues, soul, and rock.

“The truth is, underneath it all, I’m a blues singer, I’m a folk singer… but it’s like, what is folk music? What is country music? What is it, you know?

It’s either real or it’s not… if you’re gonna play after me at a festival you better be real good.”

I love it.

He also detailed how his arrest in Virginia six years ago was an eye opener for him, considering his brother had already done hard time in prison, and his sister had just passed away, his open heart surgery and more.

You can check it out here:

 

The album release and CBS appearance marks the start of a jam packed year for the quick-rising country and western swing superstar, as he’s gearing up to open for Willie Nelson for a number of amphitheater shows this summer.

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