SPOTLIGHT: Charley Crockett Finds His Place on ‘Are We Lonesome Yet’ [VIDEO]

EDITOR’S NOTE: Charley Crockett is No Depression‘s Spotlight artist for September. Read our interview with him about his new album, Music City USA, and get another taste of his storytelling here. Below, he shares a performance of one of the songs from the album just for No Depression readers.

Charley Crockett may be fresh off an Emerging Artist of the Year award from the Americana Music Association last week, but he’s been around a while, musically speaking. And he doesn’t take any of his present success for granted.

He built his career busking on street corners, and he told ND in a recent interview that he’s more comfortable with bartenders and people in alleys than any industry bigwigs.

“Are We Lonesome Yet,” from his new album, Music City USA, speaks to that divide.

“I wrote this song about a poor boy who comes to the city and finds himself out of place in high society or on a big stage,” Crockett says. “I got a few billboards with my face on them right now. I walked up Broadway in Nashville the other night to see one of ’em. I was talking to myself looking up at it. There was a homeless guy sitting on a bench who thought I was talking to him. I apologized for the confusion and pointed up at the 60-foot-tall version of me. He said it looked nice but that a black hat would be better. I agreed.”

Watch Crockett perform the song in this video recorded at the Turf Club in Minneapolis.