Fresh off the release of his album *$10 Cowboy* on Friday, Charley Crockett performed three tracks from the new record on CBS Mornings’ Saturday Sessions ahead of his Stagecoach set. Crockett and his band played the title track, “America,” and “Solitary Road.”
Crockett, a prolific Texas singer-songwriter, has released nine albums between 2018 and 2022, bringing his total to 13 independently released records with *$10 Cowboy*.
“I’ve never been on a major label. I just keep dodging them,” Crockett told Rolling Stone backstage at a Miami gig in March. Despite entertaining offers, he found the deals unappealing.
Crockett’s frequent releases are reminiscent of country legends like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, who often put out an album a year. “Authenticity should not be mistaken for amateur realism. Authenticity is hard-won,” Crockett said, emphasizing that his latest album is a product of all his previous work.
For Crockett, storytelling is the essence of good country music. He will spend the summer touring behind *$10 Cowboy*, which he believes will inspire his next album. “I actually have trouble writing just sitting right at the house. I need to be moving,” he explained. “When I’m on the road, people’s stories are just spilling out on the street in front of me, and I’m always wanting to take those pieces.”