Travis Roberts Gives a Rocking Nod to His Old Stomping Grounds with New Single “Hereford Blues” (Exclusive Premiere)

Travis Roberts will release his debut album, Rebel Rose, on August 1. Earlier this year, he gave listeners their first taste of his debut full-length with “Bellmarie.” Today (July 8), American Songwriter is proud to premiere the next sample of Rebel Rose. Listen to “Hereford Blues,” an ode to Hereford, Texas, below.

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At just 24 years old, Roberts has experienced more than most people twice his age. His wealth of life experience shines through in the tracks from his debut album, “Hereford Blue,” included. Raised in a military family. Roberts moved often with his family until they put down roots in Amarillo, Texas. There, the future singer/songwriter’s life took a turn. His parents split, he started dabbling with alcohol and other substances and eventually began a battle with addiction. At one point, he even enlisted in an underground fight club to make enough money to survive.

[RELATED: 3 Songs You Didn’t Know Ray Wylie Hubbard Wrote For Other Artists]

Now, Roberts is clean and ready to pour the hardships and good times he’s experienced into his songs. Ahead of today’s premiere, he took a moment to discuss “Hereford Blues” with American Songwriter.

Travis Roberts on Writing “Hereford Blues” with Ray Wylie Hubbard

“I love where I am from,’ Roberts says. “It feels like the sun sets for hours. It feels like God could sweep us off the planet without having to take a second pass. When I am in Hereford, Texas, U.S.A., it feels like that exponentially,” he explains.

“When I had this idea for a song, I just kept playing the riff over and over again until, one day, I was sitting with Ray Wylie on a bus in the middle of bumf**k nowhere, Texas. I had most of the lines finished until the second verse. I can write a song, but Ray IS the song when he writes it, ya know? So he told me to try actually singing the line I had in Spanish. Then I messed it up in the studio,” Roberts recalls. “I think that’s rad as hell.”

Rebel Rose Tracklist and Information

Travis Roberts will release Rebel Rose via New West Records on August 1. It will be available across streaming platforms as well as on Red Rose color vinyl and compact disc. Fans can pre-order or pre-save the album today.

Tracklist:

1. “Bellmarie”
2. “Ink Ain’t Dry”
3. “Kudzu”
4. “Rebel Rose”
5. “Arapahoe”
6. “Minefields”
7. “Hereford Blues”
8. “I’ve Got Reasons”
9. “All My Friends”
10. “Fake Magnolias”

Featured Image by Elic Goicoechea