Charley Crockett at the Rust Belt -- June 30.
Thursday, June 30, 7 p.m.
The Rust Belt, 533 12th Avenue, East Moline IL
Touring in support of his most recent album Lil G.L. Presents: Jukebox Charley, an April release that inspired Saving Country Music to call its creator "an invaluable revivalist patently important to keeping the most potent of roots music expressions alive in the modern context," singer/songwriter Charley Crockett headlines a June 30 concert at East Moline venue the Rust Belt, the musician's discography already boasting 10 studio albums and 27 singles over a mere eight years.
Born in San Bernito, Texas, in 1984, Crockett (a distant relative of Davy) self-released his debut album A Stolen Jewel in 2015, the recording netting him the Dallas Observer Music Award for Best Blues Act. A blues-dominated album, In the Night, followed in 2016, which the Fort Worth Star-Telegram deemed "an impressive calling card, full of Crockett's plaintive soulfulness and swinging tempos.” The artist spent the next year touring to promote his work, playing over 125 shows in total alongside such acts as the Turnpike Troubadours, Lucero, Shinyribs, Samantha Fish, and Old 97's, and after relocating to Austin, Crockett's next release was 2017's collection of country-song covers Lil G.L.'s Honky Tonk Jubilee. Its tracks included the Roy Acuff-penned "Night Train to Memphis," Tanya Tucker’s "The Jamestown Ferry," and Hank Williams' "Honky Tonkin'," all of which incorporated Crockett's clipped, hiccupped, critically lauded Texan drawl.
After earning further acclaim with two 2018 albums, Lonesome as a Shadow and Lil G.L.'s Blue Bonanza (which made the top 10 on Billboard's U.S. Heatseekers chart), Crockett underwent open-heart surgery in January of 2019. Yet he was still able to release The Valley That September, a recording followed by 2020's Field Recordings Vol. 1, Crockett's mixtape collection of 30 lo-fi covers and originals. Later that year, Crockett's seventh album Welcome to Hard Times debuted, leading American Songwriter to rave, "Crockett finds the sweet spot between country, soul, blues, and folk on deceptively modest songs, effortless in their easy-going groove."
Last February, the artist's 10 For Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand, a tribute album to James "Slim" Hand, was met with critical acclaim from Forbes, Saving Country Music, and Rolling Stone, the latter publication calling it “the most stylistically expansive and sharply focused” of Crockett's career to date. And the new Jukebox Charley, boasting classic country tunes from the likes of Tom T. Hall, Willie Nelson, and George Jones, is adding to the musician's plaudits, with No Depression calling it "an affectionate exploration of vintage styles that feels fresh and offers a potent reminder of how much great music of the past awaits rediscovery."
Charley Crockett plays his East Moline engagement on June 30 with an opening set by Vincent Neil Emerson, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $25-35, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRustBeltQC.com.
