#CFF2023 Artists' Spotlight: Randall King

A country-music purist whose style carries on an original American art form – with all its highs and lows included – King is something of a study in contrast, and his album is too. He often sounds like he just stepped out of a time machine, full of upbeat honky-tonk swagger and flashing the thoughtful gaze of Western poet. But he’s also got a thoroughly modern edge, driven to prove timeless tradition can co-exist with the pop-country mainstream. And it all comes together on Shot Glass.

Four years after his independent self-titled album kicked things off, the West-Texas native has now made the move to Music City, marking the start of a whole new chapter. He’s following a pair of visionary EPs with a top-shelf concept album – and in the process, buying all of classic country another round.

It’s the title track, “Shot Glass,” which captures everything in a single pour. Written by King’s songwriting hero, Tony Lane, along with hit maker Brett James, it’s a reflective ballad with a loping beat and an instant-classic hook, toasting days gone by with all their triumph and tragedy included. It’s the type of thing a person starts to think about, sitting at a bar with folks on either side, as a lifetime of memory distills down into an empty glass. And it makes you wonder, “How did it all fit?”

You see, the truth is that country can represent more than one thing, just like a shot glass and those people at the bar. In fact, it kind of needs to, if any sort of balance is to be found. And as Randall King steps into the spotlight, that balance may be ready to shift.

“We’ve got a whole lot of momentum behind us, a whole lot of heat,” he says. “And now the pendulum of Nashville is swinging back toward country music.”

We are so excited to welcome Randall King to the Main Stage in the summer of CFF2023. Connect with us @countryfanfest on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Be a fan on Facebook!

Original from Randall King's Bio