Charley Crockett is back with another heater from his forthcoming record, Age of the Ram.
By now, country music fans have discovered that Charley Crockett might be the busiest man in music. The Texas native has released an astonishing 17 albums (including his live record from the Ryman) over the past 11 years. The “Man From Waco” does what nearly no other artist does, releasing multiple LPs a year.
Rounding out the summer last year, Crockett released the second installment of the trilogy, giving Dollar A Day just five months after his previous record, Lonesome Drifter. With tall tales of cowboys on horseback, solitary drifters, and traveling barroom musicians, Dollar A Day is laden with larger-than-life stories of characters who persevered with their backs against the wall, laughed in the face of adversity, and went all in with the cards they were dealt because they didn’t have much of a choice.
The stories featured on this record truly embrace the troubadour lifestyle and the need to survive. It’s been five months and some change since Crockett gifted us with Dollar A Day, and the story continues in the next chapter of this trilogy, the Age Of The Ram.
As for what to expect from the record, it’s coming in at a lengthy 20 songs, including not one but five tracks with subtitles that feature either a numbered or main/end theme.
In a Substack post, Crockett would dive into the evolution of the “Sagebrush Trilogy” thematically, noting how the protagonist started as a wanderer in Lonesome Drifter, evolved into a rustler in Dollar A Day, and finally became a bona fide outlaw in Age of the Ram.
“The ‘Sagebrush Trilogy’ has always been about a man trying to find his name in this world. ‘Lonesome Drifter’ was the wanderer. Boots full of highway dust, chasing a song and a dollar. ‘Dollar A Day’ was the rustler. A man learning what hunger will make you do. Now the ‘Age of the Ram’ tells the story of the outlaw. The kind that don’t set out to be a legend, but winds up one anyway.”
Additionally, Crockett would delve deeper into the protagonist’s backstory in Age of the Ram, whose name is Billy McLane. As Crockett explains, he represents every man and outlaw fighting against the powers that be and the machine itself, likening it to David vs. Goliath.
“This record follows Billy McLane, a field hand out of West Texas, raised up in cotton rows and hard weather. He heads north chasing cattle and horses, thinking honest work might buy him a little peace. Colorado turns to Montana, and somewhere between driving cattle and counting somebody else’s money, he crosses a line he can’t uncross.
He rides straight into the range wars and the Santa Fe Ring. Into a world run by men who shake hands with one hand and steal with the other. Billy don’t figure himself no criminal. He’s just trying to stay free. But when the game’s rigged, even an honest man can wind up outlawed. That’s how it goes. The unknown man against the machine. David and Goliath. Fighters swinging up at giants. Coal miners standing their ground. A ram lowering his head and charging anyway.
Billy runs for the high country, and somewhere up there in the cold and the quiet, the story outgrows the man. His life’s short. The legend ain’t. And that’s the way of it. This is the life and times of Billy McLane. This is the Age of the Ram.”
At the time of its inception upon the release of Lonesome Drifter last year, the entire concept of the “Sagebrush Trilogy” seemed extremely bold in nature and rich in subtext. With the sprawling nature of Age of the Ram, it’s looking like we’re in for an all-time, potentially career-defining effort from Crockett come April 3.
This statement is backed by the preview he has shared with fans, kicking off this era with “Kentucky Too Long.” The single tells the story of a man on the run and builds on the survival themes from his last LP. The bass-heavy melody, soaked in steel guitar, transports the listener to a small blues bar with the sonic feel.
Today, Crockett is back with another single from the record, “Fastest Gun Alive.” It feels as though the single provides some backstory for “Kentucky Too Long,” explaining how the narrator ended up on the run. In “Fastest Gun Alive,” the listener hears Crockett’s twangs tell the story of a man who has fully embodied the outlaw lifestyle. The narrator shares that living this fast life has come with a price, yet he still longs for freedom one day, hoping to be forgiven for his wrongdoings.
“Down on the creek
Where the crystal water flows
I thought I saw my life in the melting snow
Then I fell asleep
From the sun of a midday heat
Dreamt about the title I had won
Fastest gun alive
I’ve been wanted all of my life
I can’t change these things I’ve done
Please forgive my tears in the sun.”
The moan of the steel guitar, combined with Crockett letting it rip for the hypnotizing lyrics that signal the start of a new verse, has listeners hooked instantly. Charley Crockett does not miss, and this song lays down traditional country music gold.
Turn it all the way up.
Just for fun, fire up a live version of the tune that Crockett recently released on YouTube while you’re here:
Age of the Ram Tour Dates
April 24 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theatre with Lee Fields
May 29 – Nashville, TN – Music City Rodeo
May 30 – Danville, VA – The Pantheon at Caesars Virginia with Honky Tonkin’ Queens
May 31 – Scaly Mountain, NC – Bear Shadow Festival
June 17 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall with Wild Horses
June 18 – La Fayette, NY – Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards with Wild Horses
Jun 19 – Greenfield, MA – Green River Festival
June 20 – Charles Town, WV – The Event Center at Hollywood Casino with Nat Myers
June 22 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark with Nat Myers
June 23 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit with Nat Myers
June 25 – Davenport, IA – Rhythm City Casino Resort with Sierra Hull
June 26 – Eau Claire, WI – Blue Ox Music Festival
June 27 – Paw Paw, MI – Warner Vineyard with Nat Myers
June 28 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha with Sierra Hull
June 30 – Billings, MT – Downtown Billings
July 04 – Calgary, AB – Spruce Meadows with Kashus Culpepper
July 08 – Casper, WY – Ford Wyoming Center with Wild Horses
July 10 – Saint Paul, MN – Minnesota Country Club Festival
July 11 – Alta, WY – Grand Targhee Festival
July 12 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater with Sierra Hull and Wild Horses
July 14 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield with Twin Temple
July 15 – Spokane, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest Resort & Casino with Sierra Hull
July 16 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater with Margo Price
July 18 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre with Twin Temple
July 27 – Goshen, IN – Elkhart County 4-H Fair
Aug 27 – Canyon, TX – The Lumberyard Canyon with The Weary Boys
Aug 28 – Fort Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas with The Weary Boys
Aug 29 – Fort Worth, TX – Billy Bob’s Texas with Jake Penrod
Aug 30 – Helotes, TX – Floore’s Country Store with Jake Penrod
Sept 01 – Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre with Pony Bradshaw
Sept 02 – Dothan, AL – The Plant with Pony Bradshaw
Sept 04 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theatre with Pony Bradshaw
Sept 05 – Charlottesville, VA – Ting Pavilion with Nat Myers
Sept 09 – Orlando, FL – Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts with Nat Myers
Sept 10 – Hollywood, FL – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino with Nat Myers
Sept 12 – Robinsonville, MS – Horseshoe Casino’s Bluesville – Bluesville with Nat Myers
Sept 14 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! with Nat Myers
Sept 15 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee with Nat Myers
Sept 16 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park with Durand Jones & The Indications
Sept 17 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre with Durand Jones & The Indications
Sept 19 – Youngstown, OH – Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre with Durand Jones & The Indications
Sept 21 – Wilmington, NC – Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park with Durand Jones & The Indications
Sept 22 – North Charleston, SC – Firefly Distillery with Durand Jones & The Indications
Sept 24 – Charlotte, NC – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre with Durand Jones & The Indications
Sept 25 – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park with Durand Jones & The Indications
Sept 26 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond Festival
Sept 29 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Mainstage Theater with Durand Jones & The Indications
Oct 01 – New York, NY – SummerStage in Central Park with Durand Jones & The Indications
Oct 02 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summer Stage with Durand Jones & The Indications
