He trusted the process, and it ended up working out pretty well.
At this point, there’s absolutely no denying that Charles Wesley Godwin is a certified star in today’s alt. country scene. With four incredible studio records under his belt, continual placement on high-profile festivals throughout the year and high praise from his peers, fans and critics alike, the West Virginia native has cemented himself as a staple throughout multiple subgenres/scenes in the genre.
Though he still falls into “severely underrated” territory, there’s no denying that he’s scored some viral hits over the years. Of course, his biggest hit to date is none other than 2023’s “All Again,” which racked up a hefty 122 million streams on Spotify en route to becoming his first-ever certified Gold record by the RIAA. Couple that with his collaboration with Zach Bryan back in 2022, “Jamie,” “Hardwood Floors,” “Jesse” and his first-ever single on country radio with Luke Combs, “Better That Way,” Godwin has been slowly but surely building up a collection of popular tracks throughout the alternative country scene.
Though “Hardwood Floors” was one of the standout tracks that put him on many a radar, it can be argued that none other than 2021’s “Temporary Town” was a bit of a turning point in Godwin’s career.
In case you weren’t familiar with the 33-year-old singer/songwriter at the time, “Temporary Town” served as the second pre-released single off his stellar sophomore album, How The Mighty Fall. Though it wasn’t a smash hit upon its release, the track has remained one of his most popular releases, thanks in part to its inclusion on Taylor Sheridan’s hit television show, Yellowstone, during season five.
As it stands, it’s Godwin’s third-most-streamed song on Spotify (excluding the feature on Bryan’s “Jamie”) with nearly 25 million plays, a staple on his setlist til this day and a favorite among his dedicated fans. As it turns out, however, Godwin hated the initial cut of the track and nearly left it off How The Mighty Fall.
During a recent conversation with Troy Cartwright on his Ten Year Town podcast, the West Virginia native explained that “Temporary Town’s” composition simply did not match the lyrics in the slightest, comparing it to a rock song with Americana lyrics. Going as far as calling it an “abomination” in its original form, he was ready to scrap the track in its entirety.
“It’s funny how much different it turned out from the day I wrote it… When we demoed it as a band in July of 2020, I hated it. It was like the music of a rock song, the lyrics of what it is. It did not fit. It was an abomination. I honestly hated it. By the fall, I was like, ‘You know what, let’s not even put it on the album.'”
Thankfully, his guitarist and producer, the severely underrated Al Torrence, pushed back on scrapping it since he knew they had something special with the song. In turn, the two, along with Godwin’s backing band, the Allegheny High, completely reconstructed “Temporary Town” into the stellar track it is today.
Reflecting on the process, the “Cranes of Potter” singer would also credit his wife, Samantha, for confirming the fact that the original version wasn’t up to par for him.
“I hated that song so much the way it turned out — the way it sounded. Samantha, my wife, is great with this. She’s dead honest. I remember showing her that, and she’s like, ‘Man, you sound miserable.’ She’s like, ‘I feel like that song, you should sound like you have a smile on your face.’ So I remembered that, and when we recorded it in the fall, I had that in mind.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
“Temporary Town”
Charles Wesley Godwin 2026 Tour Dates
Aug 6 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24
Aug 7 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
Aug 8 – San Diego, CA – SOMA
Aug 13 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto
Aug 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Van Buren
Aug 21 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
Aug 22 – Toronto, ON – History
Aug 27 – Oklahoma City, OK – Criterion
Aug 28 – Lubbock, TX – Cook’s Garage*
Aug 29 – New Braunfels, TX – Whitewater Amphitheater*
Sept 11 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six
Sept 12 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
Sept 17 – Landmark Theatre – Syracuse, NY
Sept 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Fillmore
Sept 23 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center#
Sept 26 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle*
Sept 29 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17*
Sept 30 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena#
Oct 1 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater*
Oct 9 – North Charleston, SC – Riverfront Revival
Oct 15 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Oct 17 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House
Oct 18 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
Oct 21 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
Oct 22 – Seattle, WA – SoDo
Oct 24 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theater
Nov 5 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
Nov 6 – Charleston, WV – Charleston Coliseum
Nov 7 – Cincinnati, OH – MegaCorp Pavilion
Nov 12 – Chicago, IL – Salt Shed
Nov 13 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside
Nov 14 – St. Louis, MO – Factory
* co-headline with Dylan Gossett
# supporting Kacey Musgraves
