Stephen Wilson Jr. Tribute To His Late Father Is A Welcomed Return To Vivid Storytelling

We are positive Stephen Wilson Jr. late father would be proud.

Image by Tim Cofield

Pulling from the humblest of influences, Father's Søn is a swift return to the cornerstone of our genre, storytelling. The Southern Indiana native's love letter to his father seamlessly blends the vast influences the riser grew up on, while introducing dynamic sounds that make any listener's ears perk up.

The raw production mixed with vivid lyricism, perfectly matches the raw melody and origin story of the man Wilson Jr is named after, thus serving and the ultimate love letter.

“Being born in the shadow of a man greater than his name and to be given the same, I was gifted with this song as an attempt to rationalize my inherent conflict between heredity & identity,” shares Wilson in a press statement. “Am I me or am I him, and who is he? Whoever I was before died with him, and now I am what I am with a mighty anchor that is his legacy dragging an ocean floor full of formative memories.”

“I wear his blue jean jacket and his name like a badge of honor / I used to hate being called junior, but I don't mind any longer,” he sings with humble conviction. Wilson was raised by a single father who was an accomplished boxer who began training him at age seven through adulthood. He would go on to become an Indiana State Golden Gloves finalist.

“You don't have to put Jr. after your name. It's an optional suffix. But it is very powerful,” Wilson adds. “It carries a lot of weight in the sport of boxing, because it means you're an extension of your father. I'm an artist now, but when I see my name on a show poster, I still look at it like a fight card.”

The song cleverly narrates the push and pull of trying to live up to your father's name while wanting to carve your own path. The complex lyrics are full of "read in between the lines" moments offering fans a moment to reflect on their relationship with their own fathers'.

“I've never known better, yeah / 'Cause every bone's tethered / You wanna change my name? Gotta drain my blood / 'Cause everything I am's everything you was”

Pride, grief and reflection ooze from every note of the track offering a true one two punch, thus ushering Wilson Jr. to the top of the class of country music risers. Stephan's innate ability to personify such personal and raw emotion is one to aw over. The midwesterner's poignant view of the world around him makes him one of the most dynamic risers this year. At the end of the day, country music is built on raw stories, and Stephen Wilson Jr. passes with flying covers.

Self-described as “Death Cab For Country,” Stephen Wilson Jr. draws upon indie rock, grunge and country to create a distinct sound that is influenced by artists as diverse as The National, Willie Nelson and Nirvana. His songs have been recorded by Caitlyn Smith, Brothers Osborne, Old Dominion, MacKenzie Porter, Sixpence None the Richer and Leigh Nash.

Tour Dates

6/16: Eridge Park, Kent, UK - Black Deer Festival

6/19: London, UK - Scala *

6/21: Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy *

6/22: Glasgow, UK - SWG3 *

6/24: Gateshead, UK - Sage Gateshead *

6/25: Cambridge, UK - Cambridge Junction *

7/1: Fort Wayne, Ind. - The Clyde Theater &

7/4 & 7/5: Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall &

7/18: Bozeman, Mont. - The Rialto #

7/19: Des Plaines, Ill. - Des Plaines Theatre %

7/21: Kemmerer, Wyo. - Oyster Ridge Music Festival

7/22: Redmond, Ore. - FairWell Festival

7/22: Cleveland Heights, Ohio - Cain Park Evans Amphitheater %

7/25: Washington, D.C. - Warner Theatre %

7/26: Niagara Falls, ON - OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino %

9/3: Marietta, Ga. - Georgia Country Music Fest

9/14: Louisville, Ky. - Bourbon & Beyond

10/13: Sandy, Utah - Sandy Amphitheater @

10/14: Morrison, Colo. - Red Rocks Amphitheatre @

* - with Drake White

& - with Charley Crockett

# - with 49 Winchester

% - with Joss Stone

@ - with Midland