Article Contributed by Missing Piece Group
Published on 2026-03-15
Photo Credit: Acacia Evans
Today, the Indiana-born, Nashville-based rising star Stephen Wilson Jr. released the official video for his latest single “Gary,” directed by Tim Cofield and starring the award-winning actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13). The video arrives today on the anniversary of the passing of a teenager named Gary who helped inspire Wilson Jr. to write the song when he came across a roadside memorial in his name.
Watch the official video for “Gary”
Alongside the video, Wilson Jr. has shared a taxonomic analysis of “Gary”:
“(Garis mechanicus)
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata…
– a dying breed, endangered species of fixer. dwelling naturally in a habitat of grease, oil & stereo static. drawn to the roar of 8 cylinders firing in perfect unison or the sound of restricted PVC stably flowing once again. a fixer by nature – born into a broken world. may he run once again.”
Gary Sinise adds, “I heard Stephen’s song and loved it. Two weeks later he reached out to me to be in the video. He’s got a great team, a great song and it was a blast to work with them all on the video. And you know….there aint a lotta boys named Gary these days.”
In November, Wilson Jr. followed up his critically-acclaimed debut double album søn of dad with the release of “Gary,” which he premiered with an electrifying performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! He closed out 2025 with a performance of the song at the end of his appearance on This Past Weekend with Theo Von, and in February performed it during his interview on The Howard Stern Show.
“Gary” was praised by Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, and Billboard, which proclaimed it “reinforce[s] his reputation as a superb musical craftsman.” The song marks Wilson Jr.’s first single at Country Radio and is currently at #40 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.
On March 6, Wilson Jr. kicked off his entirely sold-out Gary The Torch Tour, which will make upcoming stops in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Denver, Chicago, and more. He also announced he will support Dave Matthews Band on September 4 at the Gorge Amphitheatre and Brandi Carlile on September 11–13 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Tomorrow, Monday, March 16, he will announce the second leg of the Gary The Torch Tour at 10:00 am ET.
Late last year, Wilson Jr. was nominated for his first-ever CMA Award for New Artist of the Year and made his performance debut on the broadcast with a moving rendition of “Stand By Me” and a duet with Shaboozey for their song “Took A Walk.” Additionally, Variety published an extensive feature with him ahead of CMA Awards week and the release of “Gary,” NPR Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker reviewed søn of dad, and SPIN highlighted Wilson Jr. in his first digital cover story, proclaiming, “He devises a gothic tableau of the Midwest, a fitting backdrop for his stories of loss, confusion, and perseverance. [søn of dad] is one of the darkest country records of the 2020s, but also one of the wiliest and one of the weirdest.”
2026 Tour Dates
March 18
Boston, MA
Citizens House of Blues
SOLD OUT
March 21
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn Paramount
SOLD OUT
March 22
Port Chester, NY
The Capitol Theatre
SOLD OUT
March 25
Philadelphia, PA
The Fillmore
SOLD OUT
March 27
Silver Spring, MD
The Fillmore
SOLD OUT
March 28
Silver Spring, MD
The Fillmore
SOLD OUT
April 11
Bossier City, LA
The Paradise Theater at Margaritaville Bossier City
SOLD OUT
April 15
St. Louis, MO
The Pageant
SOLD OUT
April 17
Kansas City, MO
The Midland Theatre
SOLD OUT
April 18
Denver, CO
Mission Ballroom
SOLD OUT
April 22
Omaha, NE
Steelhouse Omaha
SOLD OUT
April 24
Madison, WI
The Sylvee
SOLD OUT
April 25
Chicago, IL
The Salt Shed
SOLD OUT
June 6
Lexington, KY
Railbird Music Festival
June 30
Dublin, Ireland
Summer Series
July 9–12
Winnipeg, MB
Winnipeg Folk Festival
July 18
Whitefish, MT
Under the Big Sky Festival
July 23
Check, VA
FloydFest
September 4
George, WA
Gorge Amphitheatre
Supporting Dave Matthews Band
September 11–13
Morrison, CO
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Supporting Brandi Carlile
November 20–22
St. Petersburg, FL
St. Pete Country Fest
