A new one on the way.
The “Holler from the Holler” singer has lived several different lives over the course of his life. Hailing from Southern Indiana, Stephen Wilson Jr. has certainly made waves in country music over the past couple of years. Wilson Jr. first introduced himself with his EP Bon Aqua in 2023, and then really established himself with his masterful Søn of Dad album, which he released later that same year.
Søn of Dad was one of my favorite album releases of 2023, as it told the story of his life from top to bottom and was truly a love letter to his greatest hero, his late father. From the rip-roaring tracks like “Mighty Beast” and “Cuckoo” to the beautifully written ballads of “Grief Is Only Love” and “Henry,” everything about this project is near perfection in my eyes.
And part of that may be due to the many lives that Wilson has lived. At first, he was a boxer – as his father had trained him to be. Then he attended Middle Tennessee State University and studied microbiology. After he graduated with his bachelor’s degree, he went to work for the MARS company (the MARS company that makes candy and pet food). He also briefly worked as a vet tech. However, a music career always enticed him, and he was often writing and thinking of music while he was on the job.
Wilson Jr. took the leap of faith to pursue his dreams after his father’s passing in 2018. So in his late 30s and early 40s, when others are settling into their jobs or even prematurely dreaming about retirement, Wilson Jr. started freshly paving his own way in the music industry. And he’s paved quite the path in the few years he’s been on the scene, securing a CMA nomination for New Artist of the Year this year–making him the oldest nominated New Artist of the Year at 46 years old.
While I know many of us are pulling for him to receive this honor, we fans are also hoping for new music to be released soon. Since Søn of Dad, Wilson Jr. has not released another LP, but has kept fans interested with the Blankets EP, which features covers of songs that shaped his early love for music.
This year, he’s also put out two singles, which have appeared on TV series: “Dig A Hole” on the Netflix series The Waterfront and a collaboration with Shaboozey, “Took A Walk,” recorded for the film The Long Walk. Wilson Jr.’s most recent single, “If There’s A Heaven,” was a stunning duet featuring Noah Cyrus, and while that has satisfied some need for new music, Wilson Jr. has been teasing another tune that fans are hoping we get soon.
While this was not the first time that he’s played this tune, he’s been playing it for awhile, during the recent Whiskey Moon festival hosted by Whiskey Myers, Wilson Jr. hit the stage in Florida and laid down a killer performance of an unreleased song titled “Gary.”
“Where I come from, if you’re named Gary, you just know how to fix things. If you need something to fix, if s*** hits the fan, you call Gary. Gary gets it done. I didn’t make the rules; I follow them — and I call Gary.
But this song showed up at this epiphany that there ain’t a lot of boys named Gary these days. This song is going to be coming out very soon, and it’s called, uh, ‘Gary.'”
He tells the crowd before he begins strumming the intro on his acoustic guitar. When he says he is planning to release this soon, I am crossing my fingers and toes that we get this one before 2025’s end. And given that Wilson recently announced his 2026 Gary The Torch tour, I am feeling optimistic that we will get “Gary” before those dates start at the very least.
The acoustic-focused ballad features the iconic sound of his classic 1970s Takamine C136S, creating a dark, mysterious tone. The lyrics of “Gary” highlight the blue-collar good ole boys who keep the world going, and while we move into a more modern age, the Garys of the world do not change with the times.
“Gary these days
Been lying in his bed made
Working on the same car
Going on a decade
Scribbles on junk mail
Don’t draw attention
I never really noticed
But now that I mention it
There ain’t a lot of boys named
Gary these days
Born with a cigarette
Glued to their face
Fix about anything
A hammer can’t handle
Saving all their money
‘Cause the Gary don’t gamble…”
Stephen Wilson Jr. does not miss. I can’t wait to hear the tune in its final form.
Check it out:
@hipstersamdcowboys A new Stephen Wilson song. Unreleased. You heard it here first!#gary #stephenwilsonjr #miramar #unreleased #fyp ♬ original sound – Livingthelife
2025 Tour Dates:
11/14: Memphis, TN – Graceland Soundstage
11/15: Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace
11/20: Columbia, SC – Township Auditorium
11/23: Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
11/24: Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
12/4: Zallaq, Bahrain – BEYON Al Dana Amphitheatre
12/11: Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan
2026 Tour Dates:
1/27-1/31: Key West, FL – Mile 0 Festival *
2/17: Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
2/26: Tulsa, OK – BOK Center ^
2/27: Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena ^
2/28: Austin, TX – Moody Center ^
3/6: Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! #
3/7: Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live at 20 Monroe #
3/10: Cleveland, OH – The Agora #
3/11: Detroit, MI – The Fillmore #
3/14: Toronto, ON – HISTORY #
3/18: Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues #
3/21: Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount #
3/22: Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre #
3/25: Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore #
3/28: Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore #
4/11: Bossier City, LA – The Paradise Theater at Margaritaville Bossier City #
4/15: St. Louis, MO – The Pageant #
4/17: Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre #
4/18: Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom #
4/22: Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha #
4/24: Madison, WI – The Sylvee #
4/25: Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed #
6/6: Lexington, KY – Railbird Music Festival *
7/18: Whitefish, MT – Under the Big Sky Festival *
* – Festival
# – Gary The Torch tour
^ – Supporting Eric Church
