Move over George Strait; Make Room for Randall King

Move+over+George+Strait%3B+Make+Room+for+Randall+King

Hunter Getz, Staff Reporter

Any real country music fan knows about “The King of Country”, George Strait, but country music may be getting a “Prince of Country Music”, and his name is Randall King. Let’s check him out.

Randall King is signed to Warner Music Nashville in Nashville, Tennessee. King has also released music that some say has a George Strait vibe and has been labeled as a neo-traditional country revivalist.  According to King, his songs are old school with a new flair. The explanation for his unique but traditional sound may come from his upbringing. King grew up listening to Strait, Keith Whitley.

King grew up around a family of truckers and his songs capture the essence of the blue-collar worker of West Texas where King is from. He was raised in Hereford, to be exact, a small town of around 15,000 about 50 miles southwest of Amarillo. King has a straightforward country sound and it shows in his songs where he is trying to help bring back the traditional sound missing in newer tracks in the “pop-country” movement popularized in Nashville mainly from artists like Thomas Rhett, Kane Brown, Sam Hunt, Gabby Barrett, Dan and Shay, and many more. Randall has also been shouted out by Garth Brooks on his radio show on Sirius XM channel 55.

King has also been compared to Clay Walker, not only with his distinctive sound but also due to the fact he always seen sporting his cowboy hat. King has released two albums: Another Bullet in 2016 as an EP, and another self-titled album released in 2018.

King recently performed close to Madison as he had a show in Indianapolis on February 8th at 8 Seconds Saloon.  

King’s single, “She Gone” is a perfect example of Randall’s songwriting ability (along with co-writer Chris Stevens). In the first verse you will find the lyrics:

“Woke up to the sound of gravel flying, pedal down. When I came to, I jumped up, fell out of bed, and hit the ground. Ran out the screen door, choking on her dust. She had her window down, and her finger up. Yep, she gone”. 

When Randall writes the line about her window down, and her finger up, it paints a pretty good picture of how she feels about the breakup and a good way to write this line without many cliches.  This also sounds like a George Strait version of “Gone” by Montgomery Gentry with a less rock vibe. Randall is showing off his poetry skills, and while they may not be Bob Dylan Nobel Peace Prize-worthy poetry, his lyrics will likely ring with true country authenticity to traditional country fans.

You can learn more about Randall’s music at his official website at www.randalkingmusic.com