“It’s the worst it’s been since the last time it happened. It’s happening again right in front of our eyes. There’s updated footage, wild speculation. Tall tiles and hearsay and absolute lies,” is a line from the Tyler Childers song “Long Violent History” (2020) addressing opposing themes of racism, and standing with the black lives matter movement. Childers is a country folk singer who’s received 7 Grammy nominations and praise for his deep, sometimes political lyrics, as well as for themes of questioning faith.
Born in eastern Kentucky, Tyler Childers lived in an area where country music was widely popular, specifically near the country music highway, where artists like Chris Stapleton and Loretta Lynn grew up. From a young age, Childers was into music. He sang for his church and learned guitar from his grandfather. He then began writing his own music at 13. Upon his move to Paintsville High School, he often played guitar at lunch to feel comfortable in front of an audience. This granted him the opportunity to sing at classmates’ parties and to get exposed to other music.
After graduating in 2009, Childers briefly attended Western Kentucky University and Bluegrass Community and Technical College. Childers ultimately dropped out to take odd jobs and focus on his music career. Childers began writing and releasing his own music at 19. This gained him a small fanbase in Kentucky and West Virginia. His band “The Food Stamps” caught the attention of Miles Miller, a drummer for music artist Sturgill Simpson. This connection was a big next step for Childers’ career. Simpson became co-producer for Childers 2nd album, Purgatory, released in 2017, granting him his first mainstream success. The album debuted at number one on the Heartseekers album chart. And number two on the Americana and folk album. Purgatory kept its place there for 261 weeks.
While most country music is love songs and party music, Childers chose to incorporate social and political issues in his lyrics. This makes him different from most country artists. His outspoken support for LGBTQ+ and Black Lives Matter communities, along with his openness about his religious struggles, makes his music so transformative. While the traditional country audience rejected Childers, the leftist, Appalachian folk singer who preaches about struggles with faith character initially, it was later embraced. He shows this in his projects “Long Violent History” and “Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven” (2022), with “Long Violent History” addressing racism and police brutality in its lyrics. Upon the release of the 2020 album, Childers paired it with a YouTube message addressing political issues of the time. And his next project, “Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?” (2022), confronts religious intolerance through faith-based songs. He later shows LGBTQ+ support with the 2023 song “In Your Love”; he faced backlash, specifically from conservative listeners. The music video follows 2 men working in coal mines, falling in love. They suffer and ultimately love together. As the video progresses, it shows one of the men losing his battle to lung cancer. The video closes out with the other man on his porch, examining a clover. Overall, the music video is absolutely moving and shares a beautiful story. Upon its release, the video faced praise and criticism. Childers stayed unfazed while facing backlash, even with some declaring a boycott, going as far as saying Childers is throwing his career away. Many conservative fans were unaware of Childers’ previous support of Black Lives Matter, which isn’t the same issue, but one conservatives have also boycotted. Now that conservatives have seen publicly what Childers believes. They chose to turn on the musician.
Childers struggled with addiction early on in his career. He confessed that getting high and drinking simply became an easy way to pass the time while on the road touring. It became a coping mechanism for being away from home for so long. Themes of Addiction influenced his early music. Specifically, albums like Purgatory and Country Music Squire. He says he reached a low point in his life shortly before the pandemic. Childers would return home after long weeks of partying on tour and barely be able to function properly. After living this lifestyle for far too long, Childers realized he didn’t want to live that way anymore. In September of 2020, he stopped drinking and using drugs, and he’s been sober since. Childers began finding other things to do than substances. This gave him clarity and allowed him to adapt his music to match this new mindset. Childers is now openly an advocate for sobriety, even if he’s not so vocal about his journey to it. It’s encouraged fans to get sober when seeing their favorite artist’s road to sobriety.
Tyler Childers is what country/folk music has been missing. Someone who isn’t afraid to use their voice and upset some people with his music, all while creating beautiful, deep music. That’s why he is always so relevant.