For my money, Stephen Wilson Jr. put out one of the most compelling albums of the year last year… which is why it found itself on our year-end Albums of the Year list for 2023.
And “Father’s Son,” and ode to Wilson Jr’s late father, was easily one of the most captivating tracks. An eclectic sound, powerful songwriting, honest delivery, “Father’s Son” is a biography of sorts, detailing Wilson Jr.’s relationship with his father, who he’s named after. Struggling to live in his shadow, and seemingly lacking his own identity apart from his father, the walls come crashing down once his father passes away.
Wilson detailed the inspiration behind the song following its original release last year around Father’s Day:
Being born in the shadow of a man greater than his name and to be given the same, I was gifted with this song as an attempt to rationalize my inherent conflict between heredity & identity.
Am I me or am I him, and who is he? Whoever I was before died with him, and now I am what I am with a mighty anchor that is his legacy dragging an ocean floor full of formative memories.”
And now, it’s getting the acoustic duet treatment, featuring Hardy, which was birthed out of a spontaneous concert moment.
Of the new collaboration, Wilson shares:
“My friend HARDY and I sang a song that’s dear to my soul. We are both our fathers’ sons. He was so kind to pull me up on stage and play this song in front of his fans in the middle of his shows on his tour.
Indelible memories I am grateful for. It sounded so good I couldn’t help but ask him to sing it with me again. And he did.”
Hardy adds:
“I casually asked SWJ to hop up and sing ‘Father’s Son’ acoustic during my set since it was his last show. I told him I’d just play along and sing harmonies. That turned into a moment…a huge moment. It was a moment I wanted to live forever, and now it gets to.
This song is incredible, and I thank SWJ for letting me be a part of this new version.”
Tour Dates:
9/14: Oklahoma City, OK – Beer City @
9/15: Pryor, OK – Born & Raised Festival
9/28: Memphis, TN – Autozone Park #
10/3: Denver, CO – Summit @
10/4: Grand Junction, CO – Warehouse25 @
10/10: St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall @
10/11: Columbia, MO – Blue Note @
10/18: Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s @
10/19: Minneapolis, MN – Varsity @
10/24: Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute
10/25: Newcastle, UK – Think Tank
10/26: Glasgow, UK – King Tut’s
10/27: Manchester, UK – The Deaf Institute
10/29: London, UK – Oslo
10/30: Cardiff, UK – The Globe
11/1: Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg Upstairs
11/2: Groningen, NL – Take Root Festival
11/4: Köln, DE – Club Volta
11/5: Berlin, DE – Passionskirche
11/21: Birmingham, AL – Saturn @
11/22: Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theater @
11/23: Charlotte, NC – Underground @
12/4: Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl @
12/5: Lexington, KY – Manchester @
12/6: Louisville, KY – Mercury @
12/8: Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall @
12/10: New York City, NY – Gramercy Theatre @
12/12 Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theatre
12/13: Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl @
12/14: Washington D.C. – Sixth & I @
# – with Miranda Lambert
@ – Fall Headline Tour Dates