Country Roads to Stardom: The Journey of Nelson McKinney, a Student, Singer and Songwriter.

By Lexi Schaben

Here in the Texas panhandle, country music is one of the most listened-to genres. From George Strait to Jason Aldean, we Texans love our country! While there are many famous country artists, there are always some that are up-and-coming that many people don’t know about here at WT.  We have some students who are very passionate about music, just like our own Nelson McKinney. 

McKinney is a junior at WT but doubles as a country music singer and songwriter. Why did he choose country over any other genre? McKinney expressed that it has a special place in his heart.

 He said country music is, “something that my dad always sang around the house. I never knew many songs that weren’t country growing up.”

Nelson thinks back to when he was young. “In the car, we always had the radio tuned to a country station unless we were listening to Christmas music when it was that time of the year.” Nelson said another inspiration that his father instilled in him was none other than Stoney LaRue.   “When I was in middle school, my dad started playing songs off of Stoney LaRue’s ‘Live Acoustic’ album, which exposed me to a completely different kind of country than what I had been hearing on the radio. This was real, two guitars and a fiddle live sounded so much better than the fixed-up music I had grown numb to on the radio.”

Nelson and his father’s love for music led to lots of singing around the house, which has had a lasting impact on him. Nelson’s father Page McKinney said he “never really thought much about singing and playing in front of him when he was small. It became quite apparent though early on to me that he had a gift and was all in!” 

Nelson’s father has been writing songs and playing since he was in highschool. “That is where my inspiration to make music came from,” says Nelson. 

Following his fathers steps, Nelson has been singing for as long as he can remember. “I picked up the guitar when I was 7 years old, and that is when I truly started focusing on singing as well,” said McKinney. While he has been singing for most of his life, he did not start performing until a few years later. 

“When I was 14 years old, I had my first consistent gig. That summer, I played on the patio at The Golden Light on 6th Street every Friday at lunch. I had booked a few gigs before then, but that is when the ball really started rolling,” he said.

He truly wants to do his best for his audience each and every time. When asked about the impact he wants to have on his audience when performing he said, “I hope that my audience can pay attention to the words I am singing in each of my songs. If I can get a chuckle, a smile, or a tear out of someone, I know for sure that I have done my job. I hope my music can help people get through hard times.” 

While Nelson is an amazing singer, he also writes some of his own songs. “I love writing songs on my own, but my dad loves writing with me,” he said. His favorite songs to write are the songs that he truly feels and can put an exact memory to the music. Nelson’s father says he has “always hoped I’d hear one of my songs on the radio and I never dreamed my first one would be co-written and sung by my own son.”

The creative process is different for everyone, and when it comes to Nelson, he describes it as developing his songs differently each time. “Sometimes I’ll have a melody come through my mind, or sometimes I’ll come up with a title I want to start with. After I have a start, I just have to find a time to sit down and figure out how I want the rest of the song. Usually, inspiration strikes me late at night, so I stay up pretty late a lot of times trying to get that song finished.” Just another late-night college student like the rest of us!

Singing and songwriting can be hard and putting art out into the world can be scary for an upcoming artist. “When someone is honest enough to tell me something I could do better, I always listen. Sometimes I disagree, but I always step back to see if I can improve as a musician,” said McKinney when asked about dealing with criticism.

Despite criticism, Nelson has some good people in his corner. When asked about Nelson’s success, his father says, “As a father, I couldn’t be more proud of him. It’s been an amazing journey to watch him go after his dream. To be a role model of his is very humbling to say the least. Nelson is a great son and inspires me to be better everyday.” He continues, “I would love to see him reach his goal of someday becoming one of the greats in country music and using that platform to lead others to Christ.”

When asked about new projects McKinney said, “back in July, I recorded 5 songs here in Amarillo. I released one, ‘3 Mississippi (The Dairy Queen Song),’ on January 12th, and I plan to release another single around late March. Over the summer, I will release all 5 songs on an EP.”

Nelson McKinney’s music is available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify.