When I heard the title track of Garrett Bradford's new album, “Honkiest of Tonkers” (Part 1), I knew he played music I wanted to listen to. It turns out he is a bonafide cowboy who writes and sings songs.

Bradford is a fourth-generation Texan and grew up in the western worlds of ranching and rodeo. His formative years were spent on the ranch, where he developed a profound appreciation for livestock, hunting, and fishing. But as many in country music can attest, Bradford got his start singing in church.

He recalled, “We were real active in church, and [mom] forced me to do the Children's Choir, and I didn't want to do it because I was a little boy, five or six years old, and all I wanted to do was be outside and hunting fish and work cows and ride horses and all that.”

But his mother forced him to participate, and it was very fortunate that the children’s choir director, Ms. Alice Simmons, saw young Bradford’s potential and she had him singing solos from the onset.

The music around him was traditional country and he was inspired by legendary artists, including George Strait, Red Steagall, Bob Wills, Nat Stuckey, Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell, Gary P. Nunn, and Jack Ingram.

However, Bradford didn’t even know being a songwriter was a career choice option until songwriter Dan Roberts (who co-wrote Garth Brookes’ “Beaches of Cheyenne”) moved to his hometown of Weatherford.

Roberts told him, “You know those songs you hear on the radio? I get paid to write those things.”

Bradford thought, “That sounds like a way better job than anybody else's dad," without realizing how hard it was to make a living as a songwriter.

With Robert’s encouragement, Bradford started playing guitar, and when his dad saw it was more than a fad, he got his own guitar.

By the time he was 17, he was good enough to play in a band “with old-timers way older than me,” and they played a lot of gospel and Western Swing.

If you are in the music business, know that Texas country is its own thing. Those who are a part of it may or may not choose to go to Nashville. When Bradford graduated from high school in 2010, pop country was peaking in Nashville, and it was not the sound he gravitated toward. He was brought up with traditional country music, and that was the style he preferred.

Bradford tried to make a go of attending several colleges in Texas, where he studied Political Science, but the more mature he got, the less it appealed to him.

In 2020, Bradford debuted a country EP (also called Honkiest of Tonkers), and the song, “This Way of Life” was featured on the hit TV show Yellowstone (Season 3, Ep:9). The next day, "This Way of Life" was the most Shazammed country song in the US and started climbing up the iTunes charts where it peaked at #32 on the iTunes Country Top 40 Chart.

Bradford got a song that debuted on Yellowstone because, initially, he was a ranch hand on producer Taylor Sheridan’s ranch. Sheridan had recently moved to Texas, lived nearby, and needed extra help. At some point, he got invited to dinner. Someone mentioned to Sheridan that Bradford was “one heck of a singer-songwriter,” so he kept getting invited to dinner, and afterward, he would play songs for the producer as well.

One day, Sheridan told him, "I've got this scene coming up, and it needs a song in it. I have not found anything that I really resonate with. I want there to be some song about the Western way of life and how it's alive even though it looks like it's dying."

He asked Bradford to write a song, and he sent one over three weeks later. At midnight, Sheridan called back and said, “We’re using it on Sunday.” The show's music supervisor helped him get “This Way of Life” on Spotify; the rest is history.

Sheridan’s mentorship and belief in Bradford’s authentic storytelling helped reignite his passion and allow his music to reach a wider audience.

Now Bradford is releasing two full albums called Honkiest of Tonkers. Part 1 is released on February 21st, and Part 2 will be released on April 4, 2025. The song “Bad Girl Good” is about a girl who can’t relate to a guy who is a gentleman. While “Watching You Burn,” is about a girl who self-destructs, it could be about anyone who harms themselves. The song “Do You, (I Do),” has Bradford thinking about what could have been.

Because Bradford’s dad was a truck driver, he included two songs as a tribute. “Peterbilt Pipe Dream” and “Keep On Driving” are two upbeat songs perfect for listening to in the cab of a truck.

Bradford shared, “We raised rodeo stock, Bucking Bulls, Buckingham Bronx, and I would go with my dad to rodeos all over the US and Canada. My dad always had a CB even though we weren't in a big truck and he would get on there and talk and knew all the lingo. I was infatuated with that thought it was the coolest thing.”

But it’s his autobiographical song, “50 In the Fast Lane,” that caught my attention. The song is about what happens to a song you write that gets published, but you have no control over it.

The words Now those record men are calling me to buy up all my rights/ So a daddy's boy from Boston can sing about my life/ CMT sensation talking ′bout what he don't know/ They pay me to keep my mouth shut/ And my country ass back home/ But it′s hard to be bitter when them checks are rollin' in/ Bought a place to run Pa's cattle, Put mama in a Benz/ Yea the hurtin′s all behind us, guess the Good Lord had a plan/ For the cowboy kid from Texas, drinking Coors out of the can are a bit bold, but also spot on.

Bradford stated, “I wrote that song years ago and didn’t know how true it would become.”

Now Bradford splits his time between Nashville and Texas, where he continues to write songs alone with others. He has collaborated with Leslie Satcher, Tom Douglas, and Phil O’Donnell. However, singer-songwriter Greg Manuel, Sr., has become his mentor and was the main co-writer of the two albums.

Bradford was recently recognized as one of Country Evolution's "Country Artists to Watch in 2025," solidifying his place as a rising star in the genre.

Garrett Bradford’s ability to blend authentic Texas grit with compelling lyrics and dynamic performances positions Honkiest of Tonkers as a standout project that true country fans can appreciate.

You can follow Garrett Bradford on his website, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and all streaming platforms.

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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X.