There are some voices in Texas music that you hear for about five seconds and immediately know who it is.
Brandon Rhyder has always been one of those voices.
Born and raised in Carthage, Texas, Brandon started out singing in church before discovering the guitar in college and finding his way into songwriting. He moved to Austin in 1999 and quickly became part of the Texas/Red Dirt music scene.
His first album, Because She Loves Me, came out in 2001. Then came Behind the Pine Curtain, Conviction, Live, Every Night and Head Above Water — records that helped establish Brandon as one of the most respected singer-songwriters to come out of Texas.
And there were some pretty big moments along the way.
“Before I Knew Your Name” became his first No. 1 on the Texas Country Music Chart. Then “Rock Angel” went to No. 1 on both the Texas Music Chart and Texas Regional Radio, staying there for two weeks.
But Brandon’s story took a very serious turn in 2018.
He was rushed to the hospital and spent five days in critical condition after going into septic shock from a mystery illness. Eventually, doctors determined he was battling Lyme disease. It was the kind of health crisis that could have ended a career — physically, emotionally and professionally.
But it didn’t.
Brandon fought his way back.
And if you’ve followed his music over the years, you know that songwriting has always been a huge part of who he is. He has worked with some incredible writers and producers, including Walt Wilkins, Radney Foster, Keith Gattis, Liz Rhodes and Lori McKenna.
Now comes the REALLY interesting part.
Brandon just announced that he’s working on a brand-new 12-song album, and he says it’s different than anything he’s ever done before.
After everything he’s been through, I’m pretty intrigued by that.
Because sometimes the best music comes from the chapters of life you never planned on writing.
I have a feeling this next record could be a pretty interesting one.
