GRAMMY Award-nominated artist Charley Crockett releases his much-anticipated new album Lonesome Drifter, his first release for Island Records. Recorded over 10 days in March 2024 at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles and co-produced by Crockett and GRAMMY®-winner Shooter Jennings, Lonesome Drifter finds Crockett continuing to refine and expand his “Gulf & Western” sound. Crockett’s encyclopedic knowledge of various strains of American music – country, folk, soul, blues, R&B, rock & roll, and more – are put through his singular prism. At the core of it all is Crockett’s songwriting, offering hard-won insights from a remarkable, and at times unbelievable, life. “I’d like to be known as a storyteller,” Crockett explains. “I’m trying to tell good, true stories in song.”
Crockett has already given his constantly expanding fan base a taste of Lonesome Drifter, releasing the title track “Lonesome Drifter,” “Game I Can’t Win,” and a retooling of fan favorite “Jamestown Ferry” ahead of the album’s release. Inciting tastemaker applause, Rolling Stone christened him “eternally prolific,” while NPR profiled him in-depth and marveled at how his work ethic “might even win him a GRAMMY®.”
In the leadup to release, Crockett engaged his audience by notably giving away 100,000 copies of a four-song sampler of Lonesome Drifter as a way to pay homage to his journey as a working musician. In addition to the CD sampler giveaways, special Lonesome Drifter listening parties took place at 132 independent records in 41 states.
Crockett will launch a special series of in-store performances this month, including tonight March 14th, at Waterloo Records in Austin, TX; March 15th at End of An Ear Records in Austin, TX; March 19th at Josey Records in Tulsa, OK; and March 22nd at Good Records in Dallas, TX.
Over the years, he’s kept his head down and delivered music at a relentless pace, refining his “Gulf & Western” sound and playing just as hard on the road to boot. Notably, “Lonesome Drifter” marks his 15th LP, major label debut, and first release as part of the “Sagebrush Trilogy.”
All of that work and life effectively prepared him to record Lonesome Drifter with Jennings. Musically, he traces a roadmap through his own myriad of influences, tipping a hat to everybody from Waylon Jennings, Bill Withers, Bob Dylan, and Woody Guthrie, drawing on countless, often unbelievable true experiences since he first left his native Texas. From the spellbinding vocal performances to the raw and rustic instrumentation to the unforgettable storytelling, Lonesome Drifter stands out as his most cohesive body of work to date. As such, the album is the sound of dues paid, strength gained, and wisdom earned shared on tape.
Crockett’s dance card for 2025 continues to fill up. In addition to the first round of “Lonesome Drifter Tour” dates announced last week, he will play his biggest headline show to date at NRG Stadium as part of the 2025 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo on March 17th.
TRACKLISTING
1. Lonesome Drifter
2. Game I Can’t Win
3. Jamestown Ferry
4. Easy Money
5. Under Neon Lights
6. This Crazy Life
7. The Death Of Bill Bailey
8. Never No More
9. Life Of A Country Singer
10. One Trick Pony
11. Night Rider
12. Amarillo By Morning
Charley Crockett – 2025 Tour Dates
Mar 17 – Houston, TX – Houston Rodeo
Mar 18 – Austin, TX – Austin Rodeo
Mar 20 – Tulsa, OK – The Cove at River Spirit Casino#
Mar 21 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Casinos & Resorts (SOLD OUT)
Apr 5 – New Orleans, LA – Hogs for the Cause
Apr 23 – Athens, GA – The Classic Center
Apr 25 – Oxford, MS – Double Decker Arts Festival
May 1 – Wichita, KS – WAVE
May 2 – Riverside, IA – Riverside Casino
May 3 – Springfield, IL – UIS Performing Arts Center
May 4 – Rockford, IL – Hard Rock Casino Rockford
May 6 – Shipshewana, IN – Blue Gate Performing Arts Center
May 7 – Evansville, IN – Aiken Theatre in The Centre
May 8 – Nashville, IN – Brown County Music Center
May 10 – Knoxville, TN – Southern Skies Music & Whiskey Festival
Jun 3 – Tucson, AZ – Linda Ronstadt Music Hall
Jun 5 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl^
Jun 6 – Valley Center, CA – Harrah’s Resort Southern California
Jun 7 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre
Jun 8 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24
Jun 10 – Big Sur, CA – Henry Miller Memorial Library
Jun 11 – Big Sur, CA – Henry Miller Memorial Library
Jun 21 – Nelsonville, OH – Nelsonville Music Festival
Jun 22 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed
Jun 23 – Sioux City, IA – Orpheum Theatre
Jun 25 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre*
Jun 27 – Livingston, MT – Pine Creek Lodge (SOLD OUT)
Jun 29 – Emigrant, MT – The Old Saloon (SOLD OUT)
Jul 1 – Boise, ID – Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden
Jul 2 – Salt Lake City, UT – Granary Live
Jul 5 – Taos, NM – Kit Carson Park
Aug 9 – Beech Mountain, NC – Beech Mountain Ski Resort@
Aug 23 – Minneapolis, MN – Surly Brewing Festival Field
Oct 10 – Nashville, TN – GEODIS Park+
Oct 11 – Nashville, TN – GEODIS Park+
Nov 8 – Miramar Beach, FL – Moon Crush Whiskey Moon
# w/ Jake Penrod
^ supporting Leon Bridges
* w/ Chaparelle & Rattlesnake Milk
@ w/ 49 Winchester
+ supporting Tyler Childers
