FOUR TOTAL NOMINATIONS INCLUDING SONG OF THE YEAR (“GARY”), MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR, MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (“GARY”) AND NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
NEW SINGLE “CØRNERMAN” ARRIVING SEPTEMBER 15
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Today, Indiana-born, Nashville-based rising star Stephen Wilson Jr. earned four nominations at the 60th Annual CMA Awards, making him one of the year’s top nominees. His nominations include both Song and Music Video of the Year for his single “Gary,” which he was the sole songwriter on, and for the accompanying video, which he co-directed with Tim Cofield. He also receives recognition in both the New Artist and Male Vocalist of the Year categories.
Stephen Wilson Jr. has also announced that he will release a new single “Cørnerman” on September 15. The song arrives on the three-year anniversary of his debut double album søn of dad, and the eight-year anniversary of the passing of his father.
Last year, Wilson Jr. received a first-time nomination for New Artist of the Year at the 59th Annual CMA Awards and performed twice – first, a solo performance of his viral cover of “Stand By Me,” which garnered widespread acclaim, and next, with Shaboozey for their collaboration “Took A Walk” from the critically-acclaimed Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk. He has received a total of five CMA Awards nominations.
The official video for “Gary” marked his ninth collaboration with director Tim Cofield who also directed his official video for “Cuckoo,” which took home the ACM Award for Visual Media of the Year in May.
Recently, Wilson Jr. released his latest single “Hardwired” featuring Miranda Lambert, which Billboard hailed as an “ode to blue-collar workers of all stripes.” “Hardwired” followed this summer’s release of “Gary” (Live From CMA Fest 2026) and “Preacher’s Kid,” which was named a Song You Need To Know by Rolling Stone.
Throughout the rest of the year, Wilson Jr. will tour the US and Europe on his headline Gary The Torch Tour that will culminate with two shows at The Truth in Nashville, TN on December 11 and 12. Tomorrow through Sunday, he will also be supporting Brandi Carlile at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Find a full list of tour dates below or visit his website.
Tour Dates:
9/11–9/13 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre %
9/15 – Spokane, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest #
9/17 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre #
9/18 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre # SOLD OUT
9/19 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Grand Lodge (Concerts in the Grove) # SOLD OUT
9/22 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater #
9/24 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic # SOLD OUT
9/29 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre #
10/1 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory #
10/2 – Helotes, TX – John T. Floore Country Store #
10/3 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall #
10/15 – Belfast, UK – SSE Arena #
10/17 – Sligo, IE – Sligo Live Festival * SOLD OUT
10/19 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow # SOLD OUT
10/20 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow # SOLD OUT
10/22 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton #
10/23 – Bristol, UK – The Prospect Building # SOLD OUT
10/25 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse # SOLD OUT
10/27 – Paris, FR – Le Trianon #
10/29 – Zurich, CH – Volkshaus #
10/30 – Cologne, DE – Theater am Tanzbrunnen # SOLD OUT
11/1 – Utrecht, NL – TivoliVredenburg (Ronda) # SOLD OUT
11/3 – Copenhagen, DK – VEGA # SOLD OUT
11/4 – Stockholm, SE – Fållan # SOLD OUT
11/5 – Oslo, NO – Sentrum Scene # SOLD OUT
11/20–11/22 – St. Petersburg, FL – St. Pete Country Fest *
11/21 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company # SOLD OUT
12/2 – Pittsburgh, PA – Citizens Live at The Wylie #
12/3 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theater # SOLD OUT
12/5 – Cincinnati, OH – Andrew J Brady Music Center # SOLD OUT
12/9 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy # SOLD OUT
12/11 – Nashville, TN – The Truth # SOLD OUT
12/12 – Nashville, TN – The Truth # SOLD OUT
1/20-23 – Cancun, MX – Dave & Tim Riviera Maya 2027
* Festival
# Gary The Torch Tour
% Supporting Brandi Carlile
CONNECT WITH STEPHEN WILSON JR.
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ABOUT STEPHEN WILSON JR.
Stephen Wilson Jr.’s journey from the hollers of southern Indiana to Nashville, Tenn. has been a winding road that’s taken many detours: He’s been an Indiana State Golden Gloves boxing championship finalist, a scientist, and a lead guitarist and songwriter in an indie rock band. In 2016, he ditched his laboratory 9-to-5 and signed a publishing deal with BMG Nashville where his alchemic songcraft immediately made waves, leading to cuts from Caitlyn Smith, Old Dominion, Tim McGraw, Sixpence None the Richer, Leigh Nash and more. 2023 proved to be Wilson Jr.’s breakthrough year, signing with Big Loud Records and releasing his critically-acclaimed debut double album søn of dad: a triumphant, genre-spanning set of 22 songs dedicated to his late father and given to the world on the five-year anniversary of his passing. In 2024, Stephen’s star grew as he made his network television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, followed by performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s #LateShowMeMusic series and Later…with Jools Holland. Ahead of the one-year anniversary of søn of dad, Wilson Jr. was also profiled in an extensive feature for CBS Saturday Morning, and last year, he released a deluxe edition of the album which featured a moving interpretation of “Stand By Me” that has been streamed tens of millions of times. Last November, he earned his first CMA Award nomination for New Artist of the Year and played twice on the broadcast – a moving performance of his song “Took A Walk” from the film The Long Walk with Shaboozey and a star-making rendition of “Stand By Me.” To close out the year, he released new single “Gary,” which he debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and is currently climbing the country radio charts. Fresh off his first ACM Award win for Visual Media of the Year for the video for his song “Cuckoo”, Stephen is currently in the midst of his Gary The Torch Tour headline tour that extends through December across the US and Europe/UK. This year, he will share the stage with Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge Amphitheatre and Brandi Carlile for 3 nights at Red Rocks.
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Media Contacts
Joe Sivick + Bryan Ros | Missing Piece Group
joe@missingpiecegroup.com, bryan@missingpiecegroup.com
Corey Brewer + Rachel Heatherly | Big Loud
corey@bigloud.com, rachel@bigloud.com
