Joshua Hedley

A proud throwback to country sounds of the past, Joshua Hedley writes and plays music for honky tonks and the folks who love them. He pens lyrics that mine the down-to-earth traditions of country (as he says in one of his songs, "I sing about real life/Like drinkin', cheatin' and lovin'"), while setting them to music that's made for fiddles and steel guitars, evoking Nashville history while still sounding fresh and confident. Hedley's first album, 2018's Mr. Jukebox, was an homage to the polished, unpretentious tone of the 1960s countrypolitan era, while 2022's Neon Blue tipped its hat to the New Traditionalist sound of the 1990s. Born in Naples, Florida on January 20, 1985, Joshua Hedley began playing fiddle when he was eight, and was playing shows with veteran local pickers at the age of 12. He picked up other instruments as he grew older, and at the age of 19, he headed to Nashville, where he started playing regularly at Robert's Western World, a venue for those with a taste for classic country sounds. There, he picked up the nickname Mr. Jukebox for his deep knowledge of country classics and the talent to play requests at the drop of a hat. He started to make connections throughout the Music City, supporting such artists as Robert Ellis, Justin Townes Earle, Margo Price, and Jonny Fritz. After years of acting as a sideman, Hedley eventually started composing original material when he was nearly 30; he's credited giving up drinking with giving him the focus and creative spirit to write his own songs. These original songs formed the core of Mr. Jukebox, the 2018 debut he released on Third Man Records, making him one of the first contemporary country acts to be signed to Jack White's label. Mr, Jukebox, which was clearly influenced by countrypolitan "Nashville Sound" releases of the early to mid-1960s, was well-reviewed, and Hedley toured extensively in support. When touring was shut down in 2022 by the COVID-19 pandemic, he started playing live-streamed shows from Robert's Western World, spreading his honky tonk gospel to a global audience. He also performed as part of the Isol-Aid streaming music festival, staged to raise money for artists who took a financial hit from not playing live; his installment saw him appearing on the same bill as Jeff Tweedy and Leah Flanagan. For his second album, Neon Blue, Hedley made the jump to New West Records, and he also gave his style a tune-up, modeling his sound after New Traditionalist acts of the 1980s and '90s, such as Alan Jackson and George Strait, who melded honky tonk classicism with crisp, radio-friendly production. Recorded with help from producers Skylar Wilson and Jordan Lehning and a crew of first-call Nashville session players, Neon Blue was issued in April of 2022.
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