Randall King

Randall King is a proud throwback to classic country, with George Strait as a specific touchstone. King began carving out a cult following in his native Texas with the independently released 2016 EP Another Bullet. In 2018, he put up big streaming numbers with his eponymous debut album, which earned him a major-label deal with Warner Nashville. The label issued his 2022 follow-up EP, Shot Glass, and 2024 full-length Into the Neon. Following the acoustic outing Neon (Unplugged) in 2025, King began teasing his next studio album with singles like 2025's "Big Deal" and 2026's "Thinkin' 'Bout Drinkin'."

The son of a trucker, King grew up in the small West Texas town of Hereford, with Strait, Keith Whitley, and Merle Haggard playing in his household. Once he came of age, he moved to Lubbock in 2009 with the intent of getting a business degree from Texas Tech. While at college, he heard such local acts as Josh Abbott and decided to start playing music himself. Two years later, he transferred to South Plains College, where he studied music production while also playing music on his own. He formed an Americana group called the Randall King Band, which released an album called Old Dirt Road before splitting. King then decided to go it alone and sing traditional country.

He released the EP Another Bullet in 2016. Two years later, he issued "Tuggin' on My Heartstrings," along with his independent self-titled debut album. The record was enough of a success to earn King a spot on Warner Music Nashville's roster. His first EP for the label, 2020's Leanna, yielded another streaming hit in the thoughtful "Takin' It as It Comes," and over the next year he began teasing his next LP with songs like "Record High" and "You in a Honky Tonk," doubling down on his traditionalist country bent. The EP Shot Glass was released in early 2022.

In January 2024, King returned with his sophomore full-length, Into the Neon. Produced by King and Jared Conrad, it found him further blending an '80s country aesthetic with contemporary flourishes. Included on the album was the single "I Could Be That Rain." Acoustic renditions of some of the Into the Neon material showed up on 2025's Neon (Unplugged), and King continued releasing new songs like Drake Milligan collaboration "How Much Beer" and his solo venture "Big Deal" as he worked toward a new album with an expected release date sometime in 2026. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine