Texan Tanner Usrey talks Nashville industry co-signed country success, new album “These Days,” “tough, but fun” days as a “road dog” pursuing stardom.
Fort Worth-beloved country performer Tanner Usrey is who your favorite outlaw-style country artist turns to for music that sounds like dusty gravel being spewed from under their truck tires.
Twenty years ago, by day, he was a teenager belting out Alan Jackson tunes when he heard them on the radio. At night, his older brothers slid him burned CDs of grungy country bands like Cross Canadian Ragweed.
His latest album, “These Days,” released on July 11, showcases the performer, now 30, as a mature artist firmly rooted in those influences, as well as Texas-adored veteran performers like Wade Bowen, the Randy Rogers Band and Whiskey Myers.
‘Making noise in Nashville’
“My dad says I was born screaming,” says Usrey, regarding his blistering vocal chops. He’s a quarter century into knowing and honing that instrument.
By 2013, Usrey and his friends attended the annual Wolfdance Festival in Fort Worth.
In the past, iconic performers like Jason Boland and the Stragglers and Robert Earl Keen have graced the event’s stage.
That year, while watching Texans Brandon Rhyder and Wade Bowen perform, he told his friends that he was going to be a country music performer. The first song he learned was Rhyder’s now 20-year-old “Back Roads.” Two months later, he won a talent show. After five years of playing gigs on the renowned Texas dive bar and dancehall circuit, in 2018, he self-released a single, “Daytona Nights.”
Currently, he’s a headlining act in smaller rooms, opening for fellow independent-minded Texan Cody Jinks in arenas, as well as playing festival gigs and special shows, such as Cross Canadian Ragweed’s recent reunion festival in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in April.
“It’s on the back of streaming that Texas country and the red dirt music scene have some of the most popular ‘rising’ artists in country music right now,” says Usrey, citing 2024 country radio chart topper Koe Wetzel and his indie-renowned 2025 tourmate Jinks.
“We’re the last generation of the road dogs who are comfortable traveling six dudes to a pickup truck, pulling a trailer behind us, traveling everywhere, putting our souls into our performances.”
‘These Days’
Usrey’s latest album, “These Days,” follows 18 months after the success of his debut release “Crossing Lines.”
That album’s success intersected the orbit and favor of the recent 5x Academy of Country Music award-winning performer Ella Langley, plus features the production work of in-demand Texas favorite Beau Bedford (The Castellows, Wyatt Flores, Shane Smith and The Saints, among many).
For his latest 10-track release, Usrey tapped Grammy Award-winner Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell) and worked in Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A and Cobb’s Georgia Mae Studio in Savannah, Georgia.
Attempting to replicate Cobb’s countrified-rock fusion on Jason Isbell’s “Something More Than Free” and Chris Stapleton’s “Traveller,” was his direct intention.
“Showcasing my voice accurately alongside highlighting my writing with Brandon Wallace, Aaron Ratiere, the Red Clay Strays’ Drew Nix, Matthew Coleman and (heroes like) Wade Bowen allowed me to achieve the soulful, red dirt-meets-Southern rock sound I’ve always wanted,” says Usrey.
Cobb’s skill at allowing Usrey to embrace his imperfections as a benefit, rather than a hindrance to his artistry, allowed him, after over a decade, to gain confidence in his work.
‘Refige, then release…’
Have Usrey break down his latest album and a smile creases his face.
“On ‘Bad Love,’ I’m moaning over guitar licks like (Led Zeppelin’s) Robert Plant. It’s cool,” he says, while laughing. Two other already-released tracks, the titular “These Days” and “Don’t Let Go (Hold Me Close),” cause the performer to mimic their intensity by scrunching up his face in a smile. He says he’s proud that he’s captured the live set’s vibe on a recording.
The grief tied to mental health struggles and the highs and lows of relationships largely dominate the album’s lyrical conversations.
“When fans come up to you after shows and say that your songs helped them survive addiction, you realize that the process (you undertake) is making a difference in people’s lives. I’m proud that I’m reaching a point where I’m not just telling my stories, but that I’m telling other people’s stories, too,” Usrey says.
He describes a “transfer of energy” defined by “refuge, then release” that proved decisive for making his latest album and could guide his creative process moving forward.
“Sometimes you’ve gotta get angry and rant about everything going on in your life and the world.”
Usrey on ‘proving’ his value as a rising country star
“A decade ago, I would have never imagined selling out a 500-person room in Buffalo, 1,500 miles away. Hell, I’ve got fans in Canada who, a month ago, brought me a care package of maple syrup and whiskey,” Usrey recalls.
“The world liking hard-working Texas-style live shows, makes you want to put your emotions and heart into honest songs like the one on my new album and keep this moment growing.”
“As much as I’d love to have the viral social media moments like my friends are having, I’m a road dog who would much rather earn the next chapter of my career by bearing down and proving to people that what they’re hearing and seeing belongs in (country’s mainstream). It’s tough, but fun.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.tennessean.com ’
