Søn Of Dad lives on.
Last year, Stephen Wilson Jr. shook up the country music scene by releasing his debut record, Søn Of Dad. The Indiana native drew in listeners with his eclectic southern rock, grunge, and indie sound, captivated them, and turned them into loyal fans once they heard more about his story and what inspired his music.
When it was initially released, Søn Of Dad featured 22 tracks heavily inspired by the man who raised him, his late father.
“Writing and making this album has been very therapeutic for me to learn who I am and what my existence looks like after my father. Because life has to go on. I’m living my own life, but it’s like his death bookended what life he should have had onto mine, and I’m carrying it around like a train car.”
Stephen Wilson Jr.’s father was a boxer who trained him in the ring from age five. Their bond was very close, and Wilson Jr. details every aspect of their relationship in the lyrics on this record. Although Wilson Jr. is not a songwriter by trade, he studied to be a microbiologist. His diverse background allows him to see lyrics uniquely, which is part of the reason this record is so remarkable.
Søn Of Dad is a masterpiece from start to finish, and today, he is extending the work of that record, shining a new light on some of the existing tracks and sharing a few new ones. Today, Søn Of Dad (Deluxe) was gifted to fans, featuring two new songs and ten acoustic takes of the songs fans resonated with most.
“In an attempt to continue the conversation after the release of ‘Søn Of Dad,’ we’ve been traveling all over the world playing these songs and watching them evolve with a few new welcome additions to the story. Playing them stripped down and in full band settings. Each performance is an opportunity to learn something new about the song. Here’s some additional data we collected along the way.”
The album’s deluxe edition features the fan-favorite unrelated track, “I’m A Song.” Wilson first performed the song during his Live At The Print Shop acoustic session, and fans instantly fell in love. Shortly after the release of his debut record, fans begged for new music, and once they got a taste of this new single, they were hungry for it to be available on streaming platforms.
Like many other songs on Søn Of Dad, Wilson Jr.’s father’s memory is heavily incorporated into the lyrics, and it took him a while to reach a point where he could perform it.
“A song can be a bookmark in a 10 million + page book that can take you right to the very paragraph and page. A story is what a song is and our species lives for stories.
‘I’m A Song’ was the song that made it all make sense for me. A cache I found along the trail that gave form to what I was chasing. My father’s favorite song, he told me. A song I couldn’t play for a while but one that came back to me when it was time. Time is the thread that is stamped along the way as our chosen path is woven for the length it is given. A path I chose because my father was a song and it demands to be sung.”
Along with adding “I’m A Song,” he also shared his rendition of the classic tune “Stand By Me” on the deluxe record.
Since its release, Stephen Wilson Jr. fans have not stopped talking about how incredible this record is. Adding these two new songs and the ten acoustic tracks will surely keep Søn Of Dad at the forefront of his listeners’ minds.
Check it out.
“I’m A Song”
“Stand By Me”
Søn Of Dad (Deluxe) Tracklist:
1) Stand By Me (Live at The Print Shop)
2) I’m A Song (Live at The Print Shop)
3) the devil
4) Cuckoo
5) Billy
6) Patches
7) American Gothic
8) Werewolf
9) Mighty Beast
10) Year to Be Young 1994
11) Twisted
12) Father’s Søn
13) Grief is Only Love
14) Hang in There
15) Calico Creek
16) Holler from the Holler
17) Hometown
18) Not Letting Go
19) For What It’s Worth
20) All the Wars from Now On
21) Kid
22) Henry
23) You
24) The Beginning
25) Cuckoo (Acoustic)
26) Year to Be Young 1994 (Acoustic)
27) Father’s Søn (Acoustic)
28) Grief is Only Love (Acoustic)
29) Patches (Acoustic)
30) Kid (Acoustic)
31) American Gothic (Acoustic)
32) All the Wars from Now On (Acoustic)
33) The Devil (Acoustic)
34) Calico Creek (Acoustic)
2025 Tour Dates:
1/21: Key West, FL – Mile 0 Fest
2/20: Glasgow, KY – Plaza Theatre (SOLD OUT)
2/21: Huntington, WV – The Loud (SOLD OUT)
2/22: Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Café & Music Hall (SOLD OUT)
3/6: Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s (SOLD OUT)
3/7: Columbus, OH – The Bluestone (SOLD OUT)
3/8: Lansing, MI – Grewal Hall at 224 (SOLD OUT)
3/13: Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall (SOLD OUT)
3/14: Toronto, ON – The Opera House (SOLD OUT)
3/15: Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom (SOLD OUT)
3/27: Wichita, KS – TempleLive (SOLD OUT)
3/28: Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge (SOLD OUT)
4/4: New Orleans, LA – Hogs for the Cause
4/6: Georgetown, TX – Two Step Inn
4/10: Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle (SOLD OUT)
4/12: Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre (SOLD OUT)
4/25: Wilkesboro, NC – MerleFest
6/14: Kværndrup, Denmark – Heartland Festival
8/2: Brownstown, IN – Jackson County Watermelon Festival
11/9: Miramar Beach, FL – Whiskey Moon
