Today, the Indiana-born, Nashville-based rising star Stephen Wilson Jr. earned a nomination for New Artist of the Year at the 59th Annual CMA Awards. This marks Wilson Jr.’s first CMA Awards nomination, following the massive success of his debut double album søn of dad (Big Loud Records).
Last week, Wilson Jr. joined his fellow New Artist of the Year nominee Shaboozey for new song “Took A Walk” from the upcoming film The Long Walk. The song, which was co-written by Wilson Jr., appears as the emotional closing piece to the movie based on Stephen King’s novel.
Wilson Jr. also just released his latest EP Blankets featuring moving interpretations of songs by Nirvana, Temple of the Dog, The Postal Service and The Smashing Pumpkins. The release followed a three-night run supporting Eric Church at Red Rocks in July, his Newport Folk Festival debut, and a cross-country tour supporting HARDY this summer. Next, he will make his AmericanaFest debut at Big Loud’s Takeover at SkyDeck on Broadway on Weds. Sept. 10, support Lukas Nelson on Oct. 12 in Wilmington, NC, and continue on his wildly successful sold-out søn of dad Tour. On Nov. 23 and 24, he will headline the Ryman Auditorium for the first time with two sold-out shows.
In 2024, Wilson Jr.’s career skyrocketed with his late night television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, followed by performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s #LateShowMeMusic series and Later… with Jools Holland. Last fall, CBS News’ Jeff Glor traveled to Nashville for Wilson Jr.’s first major television interview, which was followed by a performance of three songs on CBS Saturday Morning. He also performed the National Anthem at this year’s NFL Draft and released a deluxe edition of søn of dad featuring two new tracks taken from his viral Live at the Print Shop performance – the moving dedication to his late father “I’m A Song” and a gripping reinterpretation of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”. To top it off, Rolling Stone even spotlighted him in their Future of Music print issue, calling him “one of country music’s most electrifying new artists.”
2025 Tour Dates:
9/10: Nashville, TN - Skydeck on Broadway - Big Loud AmericanaFest Showcase
9/11: Brandon, MS - Brandon Amphitheater ^
9/12: Birmingham, AL - Coca-Cola Amphitheater ^
9/13: Simpsonsville, SC - CCNB Amphitheatre ^
9/18: Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre ^
9/19: Tampa, FL - MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre ^
9/20: West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre ^
9/24: New York, NY - Madison Square Garden ^
9/26: Providence, RI -The Strand #
9/27: Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom #
10/2: Richmond, VA - Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden #
10/4: Clarksburg, WV - Clarksburg Amphitheater #
10/5: Ocean City, MD - Country Calling Festival *
10/10: Fort Smith, AR - Peacemaker Festival *
10/12: Wilmington, NC - Live Oak Bank Pavilion %
10/22: Seattle, WA - The Showbox #
10/23: Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo #
10/25: Kennewick, WA - Toyota Center #
10/26: Portland, OR - McMenamins Crystal Ballroom #
10/28: San Francisco, CA - The Warfield #
10/29: Sacramento, CA - Channel 24 #
11/1: Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern #
11/2: Del Mar, CA - The Sound #
11/8: Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre #
11/9: Miramar Beach, FL - Whiskey Moon *
11/14: Memphis, TN - Graceland Soundstage #
11/15: Louisville, KY - The Louisville Palace #
11/20: Columbia, SC - Township Auditorium #
11/23: Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium #
11/24: Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium #
12/3: Zallaq, Bahrain - BEYON Al Dana Amphitheatre
12/11: Las Vegas, NV - The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan #
2026 Tour Dates:
1/27-31: Key West, FL - Mile 0 Music Festival *
2/17: Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall #
4/18: Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom #
^ - Supporting HARDY
% - Supporting Lukas Nelson
* - Festival
# - Headline
