Charley Crockett will revisit his debut at Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium with a live album and accompanying concert film. Out September 29th, Live From The Ryman documents the culmination of nearly two decades of determination by the Texas country revivalist.
As Crockett explained in a lengthy letter to fans, when he first came to Nashville in his early 20s he often busked on the streets near the Ryman and even in the alley separating it from Robert’s Western World. Ever since those early days, the stage at the Mother Church of Country Music was a near-mythical goal for Charley. As his fame has risen and his act has moved from the streets to bigger and bigger stages, that dream became a reality on November 14th, 2022.
That’s what was running through my mind the night The Blue Drifters and I played the Ryman for the first time, a sold-out show on a Monday in November. About a third of the way into the set, just before my song “The Valley,” I said to the crowd “The alley’s just outside, but it’s a long way from right here.”
Selling out the Ryman for the first time is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and luckily my manager came up with the idea of filming the show. As a rule, I can’t stand watching videos of myself—I don’t really know how anyone can—but I’m grateful we captured that night. The crowd was truly something else, they stood up early on in the show and never sat back down again. It’s like something otherworldly was going on. Like all those ghosts from out in the alley were up there onstage with us.
The 23-song tracklist covers an impressive breadth of Crockett’s consistently multiplying catalog. In the past eight years, he has released 12 albums featuring original compositions as well as tributes to many country greats. Some of those covers made it to the Ryman, including songs by George Jones, Jerry Reed, Townes Van Zandt, and more.
“It’s surreal seeing clips of the show now, mostly because the whole night feels like a haze in my mind,” Crockett continued. “The last thing I remember before going on stage is standing in the hallway near the back door to the alley, looking at a photograph of George Jones and thinking about how he had stage fright just like I do. It’s something I’ve never been able to shake, and I swear if you were at the back of the Ryman and you squinted good enough when I walked onstage, you could see the butterflies flying out of my stomach. But once I got out there, something shifted in me for reasons I can’t fully explain. There are some nights when you get in your head and it’s so hard to stay in the moment, but that night I wasn’t the least bit self-conscious. Everything felt like a dream.”
Related: Charley Crockett Talks Success, Bob Dylan, & Billy The Kid On ‘The Daily Show’ [Watch]
According to Crockett, it was Waylon Jennings‘ 1976 live LP Waylon Live that made him want to do a live album in the first place.
“You think about guys like Waylon and Willie Nelson, who couldn’t get a break at first—they weren’t making money and Nashville nearly crushed them, but they stood their ground and kept hanging in there until they finally broke through and found their audience,” he concluded. “You’ve gotta really fight to break down the walls like that, but there’s nothing like stepping off that stage and knowing you did it your way.”
Along with the announcement, Crockett shared a clip of “Jamestown Ferry” and an infomercial for the album. Charley Crockett Live From The Ryman is available here for pre-order in a variety of formats. Scroll down for the full tracklist and album artwork.
Charley Crockett – “Jamestown Ferry” (Bobby Borchers, Mack Vickery) – 11/14/22
Charley Crockett – Live From The Ryman Infomercial
