Ray Wylie Hubbard

A longtime cult figure among fans of outlaw country and the gritty side of Americana, Ray Wylie Hubbard is a singer/songwriter specializing in hard-edged character studies and rough-hewn, compassionate meditations on life and relationships. First finding fame as the author of the outlaw anthem “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother,” Hubbard’s later work was often filled with acidic wit, and his more serious songs earned him a reputation as one of the leading figures in the Texas singer/songwriters community. After years of scuffling, Hubbard first showed his true potential in the studio with the dark-edged approach of 1994’s Loco Gringos Lament, while 2001’s Eternal and Lowdown found him reinforcing the blues influences in his music. The lean, elemental tone of 2006’s Snake Farm and 2017’s Tell the Devil I’m Gettin’ There as Fast as I Can owed as much to blues and rock as country, and he paid homage to talented peers (and vice-versa) on 2020’s Co-Starring and 2022’s Co-Starring Too.