When it all goes right, an artist’s third album is something special. The point where inspiration meets empowerment, everything comes together, and a creative revelation is born. And for Triple Tigers Records country star Russell Dickerson, that is absolutely the case. Marking the follow up to a series of hits, each one burning with the intensity of a romantic blowtorch, Dickerson’s self-titled LP3 takes that same heat and lights bold new fires all over his life.
A Tennessee native from a musical family, those instincts have always guided the singer-songwriter – all the way from church choir to coffee-house gigs and eventually Music Row itself. Taught piano early on, he took up drums in high school and formed his first band, trading athletic promise for the rush of the stage and growing into an intoxicating performer. A dynamic front man who lifts crowds up on his own wild-eyed energy, with a near superhuman ability to translate fluttering hearts into musical notation, Dickerson grew up in the shadow of Music City, a kid who counted himself a student of the ‘90s and 2000s country giants. And yet, it took forgetting everything he knew to find success.
It was just after graduating from Nashville’s Belmont University that Dickerson first hit the road. Wielding an independent spirit and a rich vocal – plus a drive to succeed and an SUV – he’d pack up and head out with his self-written songs, often relying on his wife Kailey for not just inspiration, but photography, video production and more. As the odometer racked up miles, though, it became tough figuring out “something country fans would like,” Dickerson said. But still, he forged on.
“I told myself ‘I’m just gonna keep going,” Dickerson said. “‘I’m gonna keep driving my run-down SUV all across America playing for 25 people and 250 bucks a night, until something happens.’” Something did happen, of course, but not the way he expected. Dropping the idea he could figure out what fans wanted, Dickerson instead embraced what he liked, and 2015’s “Yours” was the result.
A total surrender to true love that is now a 3X-Platinum Number One, “Yours” was a creative breakthrough, a torrential downpour of devotion followed by three more Platinum chart toppers in the same vivid, personal vein. Dropping two albums – Yours and Southern Symphony – streaming numbers soon hit 2.2 billion and led to tours with Thomas Rhett, Lady A, Kane Brown, and more, plus a reputation as one of country’s hottest new talents. And crucially, it sparked a whole new confidence.
“No matter how far we get into this, I want people to know it’s still me. It’s still RD,” he says. “I’m still the hyper, outgoing, fun-loving, crazy dude on stage. But also these songs are so meaningful to me. It’s not all hype and smoke and lights. I am a songwriter, and no matter where country music goes, I’m not chasing anything except Russell Dickerson.”
HIT SONGS:
“God Gave Me a Girl”
“She Likes It” (with Jake Scott)
“Home Sweet”
“Love You Like I Used To”
“Every Little Thing”
“Blue Tacoma”
“Yours”