Charley Crockett - The Man From Waco - Release September 9

Crockett’s burgeoning career has seen him amass 206.6 million career streams worldwide to date, 98 million of those in the past year, alongside huge leaps in his Spotify followers, YouTube subscribers and engagement on socials. His UK tour in October has already sold out, which mirrors much of his recent US tour, and he’s currently part of Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, with Chris Stapleton, The Avett Brothers, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Billy Strings, Brothers Osborne, Steve Earle, Allison Russell and others.

In the US, the man Variety commented has "become one of the most beloved figures among country’s hippest fan subset" has attracted the attention of prime TV shows like Austin City Limits and CBS Saturday Sessions with more to come later in the year and graced Spotify and CMT billboards in NYC’s Times Square. In the UK, Crockett has been featured in national newspapers The Guardian and The Independent and reviewed in Uncut and Country Music People magazines, amongst many others. Radio support has come from many quarters, BBC Radio 2, Absolute Radio Country, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC East, UK Country Radio and Celtic Music Radio.

The Man from Waco takes its title from the slow-burning murder ballad showcasing Crockett’s captivating baritone. With its brooding rhythms and darkly hypnotic guitar riffs, “The Man from Waco” first came to Crockett as he and his band rode through the titular Central Texas city late one night on tour.

“We were driving over the Brazos River and started talking about James Hand, who passed away in the pandemic,” Crockett recalls, referring to the Waco-born country singer who inspired his 2021 tribute album 10 for Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand. “One of the guys was playing accordion and I started singing a melody.”

"At first, we were having fun with it," Crockett explained to PEOPLE Magazine. "We weren't making fun of James or anything, but we weren't taking the song seriously. But sometimes, it's those songs that you're not taking seriously that end up being the ones that stick and begin to take on a whole other meaning."

Produced by Bruce Robison (Crockett’s manager and an acclaimed artist/songwriter in his own right), The Man from Waco took shape from a series of fast-and-loose sessions at Robison’s studio in Lockhart, Texas. Recorded live to tape, The Man from Waco marks the first time Crockett’s longtime band The Blue Drifters have joined him in the studio from start to finish. Thanks to their relentless touring over the years, Crockett and his bandmates have developed a potent and palpable chemistry, infusing every track with equal parts razor-sharp precision and unbridled energy. “Most of these songs were cut in a few takes,” Crockett says. “There was a looseness that led to a lot of inspired performances that felt good right away.” Also featuring The Greyhounds’ Anthony Farrell (a multi-instrumentalist whom Crockett calls “the record’s secret weapon”), The Man from Waco ultimately bears a lush and timeless sound that endlessly spotlights the singular character of his songwriting.