Charley Crockett’s $10 Cowboy Tour Lights Up 713 Music Hall

Have you ever met a stranger and been completely amazed by their entire demeanor? The kids these days would call it “swag” or “vibes,” which is something magical and intangible about the person’s attitude. That’s exactly how I feel about Charley Crockett. His chiseled jawline and piercing green eyes attract your attention, and then BOOM!… His voice and southern twang grabs a hold of your soul and doesn’t let go.

Crockett began his set at 713 Music Hall with $10 Cowboy, where he sings “people always ask me, if I’m a rodeo star / doubt if I got 8 seconds / but I can sing you a song!” He definitely fits the casting call for a vintage cowboy film: leather jacket, Stetson on his crown, wranglers and boots. He carries his guitar around the stage like dancing partner, flashing his pearly-white smile with the precision of a heart surgeon.

The singer-songwriter is a native of San Benito, Texas – the same hometown as Freddy Fender of Texas Tornados fame. He later moved to Dallas and also spent time with family in New Orleans, no doubt absorbing every character and experience he encountered into his repertoire of inspiration.

The amber colored accent lights that flanked him and his band on stage added to the warm feel of the show. This wasn’t a modern country set with pyro, lasers, and songs about your dog dying in your truck down by the river. This was more subdued, classic country music with heavy blues influence. “I used to think I was a folk singer” he told the audience. “But then I realized this ain’t nothing but The Blues!”

Crockett mostly sings in a low baritone voice, almost like Johnny Cash or Kris Kristofferson. But peppered in between verses and jam sessions with his band The Blue Drifters, he sometimes allows a yelp and a yee-haw ring out, shifting from serious to rowdy in a split second. In that regard, he reminds me more of Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Jr.

“Some publication once called me a stylistic man” Crockett told the crowd. “The way I see it, I’m always just myself… and I’m the only person that can do that!” A lady named Juliet, who was enjoying the show next to me, said “He definitely looks like a character from the movie Giant (1956) starring Rock Hudson, James Dean, and Elizabeth Taylor. I quickly added the film to my “must watch” list.

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Crockett mostly sings in a low baritone voice, like Johnny Cash or Kris Kristofferson, but his stage presence is that of Waylon Jennings or Hank Williams Jr.

Photo by Violeta Alvarez

By the time the set list arrived at “The Man From Waco,” Crockett was in total control. There were couples two-stepping around the venue, friend groups drinking beer and singing along to the tracks, and girlfriends holding their boyfriends tight around the waist. I go to a lot of shows, but outside of Rodeo season, this was the most Houston show I’ve seen in a very long time.

There were 2 large, old school neon letters on the stage behind the band, and they read “CC.” It was so cool to see them glow behind Crockett throughout the performance, and they added to the western theme of the tour. As the evening came to a close, the crowd chanted “Charley! Charley! Charley!”

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Outside of Rodeo season, this Charley Crockett concert was the most Houston show I’ve seen in a very long time.

Photo by Violeta Alvarez

Of course Charley and his band returned for an encore, offering Jamestown Ferry before bringing out opening act Vincent Neil Emerson for an awesome cover of Good Hearted Woman by Waylon and Willie.

“But she never complains of the bad times
Or the bad things he’s done, Lord /
She just talks about the good times they’ve had
And all the good times to come“

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“Next time you see me, I’ll play twice as good!” – Charley Crockett

Photo by Violeta Alvarez

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Crocketts encore included a cover of “Good Hearted Woman” by Waylon and Willie.

Photo by Violeta Alvarez