Tyler Childers

Tyler Childers was born and grew up in Lawrence County, Kentucky.{{cite journal |url=http://countrymusichighway.com/countrymusichighway/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2017-magazine-REVISED.pdf |title=Childers Catching National Exposure |page=6 |journal=Country Music Highway }} His father worked in the coal industry and his mother is a nurse.{{cite web |url=https://www.nodepression.com/interview/tyler-childers-its-a-damn-good-feeling-to-come-back-home/ |title=Tyler Childers: "It's a Damn Good Feeling to Come Back Home" |first = Michelle|last= Hanks|date=September 1, 2017|work=No Depression }} He was born with clubfoot and had to undergo surgeries to remedy the condition when he was 18 months old, and again when he was five.{{cite web |url=https://bittersoutherner.com/feature/2023/the-evolution-of-tyler-childers-by-silas-house |title=The Evolution of Tyler Childers | first=Silas|last= House |date=September 14, 2023 |work=The Bitter Southerner}} He learned to sing in church where he sang in the church choir. He started to play guitar and write songs when he was about 13.{{cite web |url=http://smileypete.com/community/creative-types-tyler-childers/ |title=Creative Types: Tyler Childers |first= Matt |last=Wickstrom |work=Smiley Pete Publishing |date=August 29, 2017 }} He attended Lawrence County High School and transferred to Paintsville High School in Paintsville, Kentucky, 23 miles southwest of LCHS. He graduated from there in 2009.{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyindependent.com/news/tyler-childers-to-join-sundy-best-for-flood-relief-concert/article_8ac67c04-2fcc-11e5-a65c-3bb4f909dded.html |title=Tyler Childers to join Sundy Best for flood-relief concert |first= Tim |last= Preston |work= The Daily Independent }} Fellow country musicians Chris Stapleton (Staffordsville), Loretta Lynn (Butcher Hollow), and Crystal Gayle hail from Johnson County (Paintsville is in Johnson County) while Sturgill Simpson, a known acquaintance of Childers is from Jackson, Kentucky in nearby Breathitt County, Kentucky.

Childers studied for a semester at Western Kentucky University and then enrolled at Bluegrass Community and Technical College for a few semesters.{{cite news|url=http://www.kentucky.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article44478480.html |title=Rich Copley: Tyler Childers' music has grown up with him |first=Rich|last= Copley |work=Lexington Herald-Leader |date=March 23, 2014 }} He dropped out of college and worked odd jobs for some time while pursuing a music career.

Childers began performing in Lexington, Kentucky and Huntington, West Virginia.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/country/news/hear-tyler-childers-on-walking-the-floor-podcast-w501111 |title= Hear Tyler Childers Talk Sturgill Simpson, Kerouac With Chris Shiflett |first=Robert |last=Crawford|date=September 4, 2017 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} In 2011, when he was 19, Childers released his first album, Bottles And Bibles. He released two EPs recorded in 2013 at Red Barn Radio, a radio show from Lexington.{{cite web |url=http://ninebullets.net/archives/michelle-evans-interviews-tyler-childers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140123011940/http://ninebullets.net/archives/michelle-evans-interviews-tyler-childers |url-status=usurped |archive-date=January 23, 2014 |title=Michelle Evans Interviews Tyler Childers|date=January 22, 2014 |first= Michelle |last=Hanks |work=Nine Bullets}} The two EPs were later released as one recording called Live on Red Barn Radio I & II after the success of his album Purgatory; they reached No. 5 on Heatseekers Albums.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/heatseekers-albums/2018-07-14 |title=Heatseekers Album |date= July 14, 2018|magazine=Billboard }} He performed with a backing band, The Food Stamps.{{cite web|url= https://www.wvpublic.org/post/tyler-childers-beloved-redheaded-stepson-huntington-music-scene#stream/0|title= Tyler Childers, the (Beloved) Redheaded Stepson of the Huntington Music Scene|first= Joni|last= Deutsch|date= July 24, 2015|work= West Virginia Public Broadcasting|access-date= January 9, 2020|archive-date= August 25, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200825102036/https://www.wvpublic.org/post/tyler-childers-beloved-redheaded-stepson-huntington-music-scene#stream/0|url-status= dead}}

He first had success with Purgatory which was released on August 4, 2017.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/country/lists/10-new-country-artists-you-need-to-know-july-2017-w491510/tyler-childers-w491514 |title=10 New Country Artists You Need to Know: July 2017 | date=July 11, 2017 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}{{cite web |url=http://www.farcethemusic.com/2017/08/tyler-childers-farce-music-interview.html |title=Tyler Childers: The Farce the Music Interview|first= Kevin |last=Broughton |work=Farce the Music |date=August 2, 2017}} It was produced by Sturgill Simpson and David Ferguson and recorded at The Butcher Shoppe in Nashville.{{cite web |url= http://www.kentucky.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article158914109.html |title=Estill County's Tyler Childers gets Sturgill Simpson's help on new album |first= Matt |last=Wickstrom |work=Lexington Herald Leader }} Simpson also played guitar and sang backing vocals on the album; Miles Miller is on drums, Stuart Duncan on fiddle and Russ Paul played other instruments.{{cite magazine |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/country/news/hear-sturgill-simpson-protege-tyler-childers-new-song-w489192 |title=Hear Sturgill Simpson Protege Tyler Childers' New 'Whitehouse Road' | first= Marissa R.|last= Moss|date=June 22, 2017 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard{{'}}s Heatseekers Albums chart, No. 17 on the Country albums chart and No. 4 on the Americana/Folk albums chart. In September 2018, Childers won Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2018 Americana Music Honors & Awards; he gave an acceptance speech noted for its criticism of the Americana genre label saying after the awarder mispronounced his last name that "as a man who identifies as a country music singer, I feel Americana ain't no part of nothing and is a distraction from the issues that we're facing on a bigger level as country music singers. It kind of feels like purgatory."

Country Squire, a second album under the Hickman Holler label and Childers' third overall, was released on August 2, 2019. The album was also produced by Simpson and Ferguson.{{cite web |url=https://theboot.com/tyler-childers-new-music-album-2019/ |title=Bottles & Bibles - Tyler Childers |work=The Boot |first=Carena |last=Liptak|date=May 20, 2019}} The video of the lead single from the album House Fire was released on May 16, 2019.{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/tyler-childers-announces-new-album-produced-by-sturgill-simpson/ |title=Tyler Childers Announces New Album Produced by Sturgill Simpson |first= Madison |last=Bloom|website=Pitchfork |date=May 16, 2019}} "All Your'n", the second single from the album, was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/11/21/kentucky-country-artist-tyler-childers-gets-first-grammy-nomination/4257578002/|title=Kentucky singer-songwriter Tyler Childers gets his first Grammy nomination|work=The Courier-Journal|date=November 21, 2019|access-date=November 23, 2019}}

On September 18, 2020, Childers released Long Violent History,{{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/long-violent-history/1531763768?uo=2&partnerId=11&at=10lISI/ |title=Long Violent History - Tyler Childers |via=iTunes}} an album consisting mainly of traditional fiddle tracks.{{cite web |url=https://eu.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2020/09/18/tyler-childers-drops-long-violent-history-surprise-album-listen/3491284001/ |title=Tyler Childers sings of civil unrest, systemic racism on surprise album 'Long Violent History' |first= Matthew |last=Leimkuehler|date=September 18, 2020}} The album closes with the title track, which discusses racism, civil unrest, and police brutality. He released a video message to accompany the song; in it he discussed his intention for the album in general and the title track in particular, calling for empathy above all else.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ3_AJ5Ysx0&feature=emb_logo/ |title=A message from Tyler. |first= Tyler |last=Childers|website=YouTube |date=September 18, 2020}} He said the profits from the album would support underserved communities in the Appalachian region, through Childers' Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund.

On September 30, 2022, Childers released a triple album Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?. The album is divided into three parts: Hallelujah, Jubilee, and Joyful Noise; eight songs are presented in three different ways (Jubilee versions for example have additional instruments added to the Hallelujah version).{{cite magazine |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/tyler-childers-new-album-can-i-take-my-hounds-to-heaven-1234588673/ |title=Tyler Childers Announces Triple Album 'Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?'|first= Jon |last= Freeman |date=September 8, 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} The album charted at No. 8, which is Childers' first top 10 album on Billboard 200, based on 27,000 units earned in the first week.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/slipknot-tops-artist-100-chart-new-album-the-end-so-far-debut-1235154016/ |title=Slipknot Tops Billboard Artist 100 Chart Thanks to 'The End, So Far' Debut|first= Xander |last=Zellner |magazine=Billboard |date=October 11, 2022}}

Childers released a new single in July 2023 titled "In Your Love", which was co-written with Geno Seale. The release was followed by the announcement of a new upcoming album Rustin' In the Rain. The accompanying music video for the single was written by Silas House and depicts a relationship between two gay coal miners in the 1950s.{{cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/2023/07/27/1190148625/tyler-childers-in-your-love-interview | title=Tyler Childers is back, and taking chances | publisher=NPR | date=July 27, 2023 | accessdate=July 27, 2023 | author=Ann Powers}} Rustin' In the Rain was released on September 8, 2023. The album features a cover of S.G. Goodman's song "Space and Time".

Childers was announced as one of the headliners in the 2024 Bourbon & Beyond festival in his home state, taking place in Louisville in September.{{Cite web |title=Bourbon & Beyond 2024 - September 19, 20, 21, 22 - Louisville, KY |url=https://bourbonandbeyond.com/ |access-date=January 25, 2024 |website=Bourbon & Beyond |language=en-US}}

Childers' music is influenced by his home state of Kentucky and its connection to country music and bluegrass.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/how-songwriter-tyler-childers-became-the-21st-century-voice-of-appalachia-707257/ |title= How Songwriter Tyler Childers Became the 21st Century Voice of Appalachia |first= Marissa R. |last=Moss|magazine=Rolling Stone |date= August 24, 2018}} He often writes about coal mining, which was his father's occupation, and its effects. Rebecca Bengal, writing for The Guardian, described Childers' songs as a "counternarrative to the outsiders who seek to perpetuate stereotypes of backwardness and poverty."{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/aug/01/tyler-childers-in-country-music-nobody-is-thinking-about-how-to-move-people |title=Tyler Childers: 'In country music, nobody is thinking about how to move people' |last=Bengal |first=Rebecca |date=August 1, 2019 |work=The Guardian}} He emphasizes lyrical content in songs, comparing the songwriting process to telling short stories about past relationships and his youth.{{Cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-ott-tyler-childers-0209-story.html |title=Tyler Childers is, essentially, just a storyteller |last=Dickinson |first=Chrissie |date=February 7, 2018 |work=Chicago Tribune}}

In January 2020, Childers spoke of his position on Americana during an interview with World Cafe:{{cite web |last1=Douris |first1=Raina |title=WORLD CAFE PLAYLIST FOR 01/27/2020 |url=http://playlist.worldcafe.org/world-cafe-playlist-01-27-2020-tyler-childers/ |website=World Cafe |date=January 27, 2020 |access-date=September 21, 2020}}

{{Blockquote

|text=Everybody always talks about the state of country music and puts down commercial country and [says] "something's gotta be done" and "we need to be elevating artists that are doing more traditional country." But then we're not calling those artists country artists, they're getting put into this Americana thing. It is what it is, and I don't really know how to define what Americana is. We're our own thing, it's a new time, and I don't know what it's called but I've been calling it country, y'know? I think, a lot of times, it's kind of become just a costume.

}}

In 2015, Childers married fellow performer Senora May, who is also a Kentucky native. In May 2022, they announced that they were expecting their first child.{{cite web |url=https://theboot.com/tyler-childers-senora-may-baby/|first=Lorie |last=Liebig|title=Tyler Childers and Senora May Are Expecting Their First Child |date= May 29, 2023 |work=The Boot}} Tyler and Senora started Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund in 2020 to bring awareness and financial support for philanthropic efforts in the Appalachian Region.{{Cite web |title=Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund |url=https://www.hickmanhollerappalachianrelieffund.org/ |access-date=January 30, 2024 |website=Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund |language=en-US}}

While not explicitly affiliated with any political party, Tyler Childers expressed support for coal miners' rights as well as same-sex marriage, in the music video of his 2023 song "In Your Love".{{cite web |url=https://tasteofcountry.com/tyler-childers-in-your-love-song-music-video/ |title=Tyler Childers' 'In Your Love' Video Tells a Gripping Story of Gay Rural Love|work=Taste of Country|date=July 31, 2023 |first=Carena |last=Liptak }} He supported Charles Booker's campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2022{{Cite web |last=Citizen |first=The Mountain |date=September 14, 2022 |title=Tyler Childers wears Charles Booker shirt for closing performance of Septemberfest |url=https://mountaincitizen.com/2022/09/14/tyler-childers-wears-charles-booker-shirt-for-closing-performance-of-septemberfest/ |access-date=December 25, 2023 |website=The Mountain Citizen |language=en-US}} and sang at the second inauguration of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.{{Citation |title=Tyler Childers performs at Gov. Andy Beshear's inauguration | date=December 13, 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tPjjcjusVg |access-date=December 25, 2023 |language=en}}

Childers has described himself in 2020 as a "recovering alcoholic" who had "drunk and drugged himself around the world playing music for the better part of eleven years." He noted in September 2020 that he had "six months of sobriety."{{Citation |title=A message from Tyler. | date=September 18, 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ3_AJ5Ysx0 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |language=en}} During a New Year's Eve performance in Lexington in 2023, Childers referenced drinking his last beer a day before he and Sturgill Simpson played a show at Rupp Arena{{Citation |title=Tyler Childers Chokes Up Talking About His Sobriety @ The 2023 New Years Eve Show Lexington | date=January 2024 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gO6vRLJhxs |access-date=January 11, 2024 |language=en}} on February 28, 2020.{{Cite news |last=Tunis |first=Walter |date=February 29, 2020 |title=Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers have a rich, reflective homecoming at sold-out Rupp show |url=https://www.kentucky.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article240197842.html |access-date=January 11, 2024 |work=Lexington Herald-Leader}}

• Craig Burletic – bass guitar{{cite web |url=https://www.gratefulweb.com/articles/tyler-childers-food-stamps-plaza-live-5619 |title=Tyler Childers & the Food Stamps / Plaza Live / 5/6/19 |first=Chris|last= Marden |date= May 14, 2019|work=Grateful Web}}
• Rodney Elkins – drums
• James Barker – pedal steel guitar
• "The Professor" Jesse Wells – other guitars, fiddle{{cite web |url= http://www.capturekentucky.com/tyler-childers-returns-home-mac-prestonsburg/ |title=Tyler Childers Returns Home To The MAC In Prestonsburg |work=Capture Kentucky |date=November 28, 2017 }}
• CJ Cain – guitar
• Kory Caudill – keyboards

{{main|Tyler Childers discography}}

• Bottles and Bibles (2011)
• Purgatory (2017)
• Live on Red Barn Radio I & II (2018)
• Country Squire (2019)
• Long Violent History (2020)
• Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? (2022)
• Rustin' in the Rain (2023)

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Category:1991 births

Category:Living people

Category:American country singer-songwriters

Category:American male singer-songwriters

Category:Country musicians from Kentucky

Category:People from Lawrence County, Kentucky

Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters

Category:21st-century American male singers

Category:Thirty Tigers artists

Category:Songwriters from Kentucky

Category:Musicians from Kentucky

Category:Writers from Kentucky

Category:Singers from Kentucky