Raised in Caneyville, Kentucky, as the third of four children to his church-going gospel-singing mother and truck-driving, hell-raising father, Elvie Shane defines country with a new kind of twang. The artist bears both ends of his parental influence on his debut EP, balancing “a little Rock-n-Roll and Jesus.” To herald his proper entrance after a winding journey to his artistry, Shane shares the title track, “County Roads,” from his forthcoming collection, due April 23.
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“County Roads is where I came from and where I’m headed,” says Shane. “It’s where I learned everything I need to know about how to put the hammer down and straighten out the curves of life.”
After years of resisting a move south to Nashville, a tender moment in 2015 turned that around. Leading up to that point, Elvie felt his Bruce Springsteen-influenced heartland songs, and the descriptive writing style didn’t fit the country landscape of the 2010s. The 2015 CMA Awards turned that all around following Stapleton and Justin Timberlake’s electrifying performance. At that moment, Elvie realized he had a place in country music and started making frequent trips to Nashville to co-write and play any show he could.
His debut, a top 30 single, “My Boy”—penned with Russell Sutton, Nick Columbia, Lee Star—set the tone for the entrance collection in 2018 when a viral video led to a publishing deal and eventually a record deal with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville.
TikTok took the song to new heights with a tear-jerking video trend, confirming Shane’s calling as a storyteller. Thoughtful lyrics describe Shane’s unconditional love for his stepson and serve as a catalyst for his artist career. Soulfully, he sings, He ain’t my blood, ain’t got my name/ But if he did I’d feel the same/ I wasn’t there for his first steps/ But I ain’t missed a ball game yet/ And that ain’t ever gonna change/ I could never walk away.
“That song has really been the driving force of my career,” says Shane. “A lot of these songs are really rock ‘n’ roll and a little edgy, but then you’ve got this one tender song about a father’s love for his stepson,” Elvie says. “I want my music to make people think, and I want it to be as raw and real as possible.”
“County Roads” evokes the grittier side of his Kentucky-tinged sound. Shane co-wrote the illustrative rock ballad with Dan Couch and Oscar Charles. To further reflect his roots, the artist enlisted the choir from his high school to contribute backing vocals on the song.
The visualizer for “County Roads”—below—filmed in his home state paints the emerging artist’s background scene.
Pre-save Elvie Shane’s debut EP, County Roads, ahead of its April 23 release via BBR Music Group/Wheelhouse Records.
