Randall King is a 29-year-old country artist from West Texas. King grew up in the West Texas town of Hereford but later moved to Lubbock in 2009. He was influenced by country music from a very young age. He grew up listening to popular artists like Keith Whitley, Alan Jackson, Jason Aldean, and George Strait. Listening to these artists pushed him to learn guitar at a young age and eventually start writing and performing his own songs.
I’ve been writing songs since I was little. It’s been something I’ve always wanted to do.
Randall King, Sounds like Nashville, 2022
He attended South Plains College after studying at Texas Tech for two years to pursue a career in music production. Around this time, he heard local acts such as Josh Abbott and became increasingly interested in playing his own music. He formed a group known as the Randall King Band. Under this name, they released an album called Old Dirt Road but split up shortly after.
In 2016, he released his first independent EP titled Another Bullet. The album earned little attention but enough to put him on Warner Music Nashville’s roster. He signed with them a couple of years later in 2019. After signing, his first EP Leanna was released in 2020, as a tribute to his late sister. He released his latest album last March titled Shot Glass.
Three days before the release of Shot Glass, King performed at the Grand Ole Opry, an important location in the history of country music and the Nashville Sound.
If you don’t know what the Opry is, I’m sorry but you don’t really belong in country music.
Randall King, Sounds like Nashville, 2022
The most interesting thing about King’s career is that despite his Texan origins, his music reflects the traditional country style. He grew up in a west Texas town and started the beginning of his career in Lubbock, a known hotspot for up-and-coming artists, yet his music doesn’t show it. He sticks to the sound of traditional country music, where his favorite artists’ influence comes in. Although he grew up in Texas, he mostly listened to the “Nashville Sound” which implies traditional country music and everything that comes with it. Texan country music, often referred to as Red Dirt Country or Outlaw Country, marches to the beat of its own drum, and one that King doesn’t follow either. However, he still looks the part, performing in a cowboy hat and boots, which is very Texan.
I was never Texas Country. I was always traditional country.
Randall King, Sounds like Nashville, 2022
King is only at the very beginning of his career and it holds a lot of promise. He fits into the current country music scene very well while still bringing his own uniqueness to the table.
With over 80+ million career streams to his name and more new music on the horizon, King is looking to the anywhere-and-everywhere future with music that captures the essence of a Western poet who’s never been afraid to be himself.
Warner Music Nashville
Music
This is King’s most popular song to date. It has that traditional country sound and of course, the mention of a honky tonk. It has almost 20 million streams on Spotify. It was released as a single in 2021, and then again as part of his most recent album, Shot Glass.
This song comes from his album about his late sister Leanna. It still has that traditional country sound, but it’s much slower and more instrumental than some of his other music.
This is his second most popular release to date with 11 million streams on Spotify. It mentions heartbreak, which is a country music classic. While listening, you can hear the steel guitar, which we talked about in class.
Sources:
Black, Lauren Jo. “Randall King Keeps Traditional Country Music Alive with Upcoming Major Label Debut, ‘Shot Glass.’” Country Now, 12 January 2022, https://countrynow.com/randall-king-keeps-traditional-country-music-alive-with-upcoming-major-label-debut-shot-glass/. Accessed 19 April 2023.
Black, Lauren Jo. “Randall King Makes Emotional Opry Debut, Releases Debut Album, ‘Shot Glass.’” Country Now, 18 March 2022, https://countrynow.com/randall-king-makes-emotional-opry-debut-releases-debut-album-shot-glass/. Accessed 19 April 2023.
Chua, Jeremy. “Get To Know: Randall King [Exclusive Interview].” Sounds Like Nashville, 22 March 2022, https://www.soundslikenashville.com/music/get-to-know-randall-king-exclusive-interview/. Accessed 19 April 2023.
King, Randall. “Randall King Biography, Songs, & Albums.” AllMusic, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/randall-king-mn0003571253/biography. Accessed 19 April 2023.
“Randall King.” Warner Music Nashville, 19 December 2019, https://www.warnermusicnashville.com/artist/randall-king. Accessed 25 April 2023.
