Tyler-James Kelly makes 1970s-inspired country music for the modern world. It's a warm, lived-in sound, created by a longtime songwriter who's happy to be a torchbearer for the music that's always inspired him.
A guitarist since the age of 10, he grew up listening to honky-tonk pickers and top-shelf songwriters, falling in love with artists like Hank Williams, Jerry Reed, Robert Johnson, George Jones, and Jim Croce. He also developed a taste for the storytellers of the 1970s, including Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Don Williams, and Guy Clark.
"I just want to be a torch holder for something that's very American — something that means the world to me and my community of country music lovers," he says. "Country was originally called folk music. It's music for the people. It's stories about life. That's all I'm trying to be a part of."