He hit the music scene just a few years ago, quickly gaining traction with the release of his first single “7 Mile Curve” in December of 2021, followed by heavy hitting songs like “Pillow Talk” and “Hell with You”.
Brady Wilcox has a genuine message behind his music that leaves many listeners feeling as though they’ve known him a lifetime. He resides in Durant, Oklahoma, where you can see on his social media that he loves the outdoors, animals, people, adores his family and obviously loves music. He has cattle of his own and can often be seen riding horses.
His upcoming single “Curves” paints a picture of the life he has walked through. Brady was raised by a single mom and was the eldest of five kids. At age thirteen, he began to help support his family. He credits the upbringing for a lot of his creativity, when writing music. “Man, growing up we didn’t have much, if we wanted something, we had to work hard to get it. But we were creative and just kind of made it happen. My younger brother and me made carts to pull behind our bikes and we talked all of our neighbors into saving their cans for us. We would pick them up every Friday with our mobile carts.”
Wilcox says they also sold chicken eggs, traded sports cards, had lemonade stands, mowed lawns, etc. “Anything we could be creative enough with to make an honest dollar, we were down. I learned that if you wanted results you had to get them yourself. I also learned to be creative and enjoy being creative.”
He also stated that his humble upbringing will keep him grounded always. “I keep a box of hamburger helper and a pack of ramen noodles on the shelf in our pantry just to always kind of remind me where I came from.” he said.
Brady posted a video to Facebook recently of an elderly gentleman telling stories, and singing songs with his guitar. That gentleman is his Grandpa, Ronnie Wilcox. Brady said “At 9 years old my grandpa helped me write my first song. It was a cheesy song called ‘I’m Just a Country Boy.’ My grandpa once lived in Bakersfield, California and was heavily involved in the country music scene out there back in the 60s. He was super talented and very influential in getting me hyped about creating music. Our family get-togethers always consisted of passing a guitar around and swapping songs. I tried to get him to teach me guitar too, but he never had the patience for it, so I had to teach myself over time.”
Wilcox lends some credit for his music career to his grandpa’s influence. Why such a diverse variety of sound when Brady Wilcox is coming through the speakers? “I grew up listening to old school country, classic rock, older rap, the whole 9 yards really. And my playlist today is all those mentioned plus the same fields just modern now. I guess that is somewhat why we have such a variety of sounds.”
Brady and his band’s stage presence is causing much buzz. One fan recently said “You never know what he and his guys are going to pull out of their sleeve! The last show we went to, he literally had a lemur on stage with him and a kangaroo there as well.”
Wilcox seems to have figured out what it takes to deliver an awesome experience for his fans no matter the case. His performances are the definition of high energy and their stage presence will knock your socks off! When asked about why he and the band put so much into their performances and the experience they give to the audience he said, “Firstly, I know what it takes to earn a buck, and if someone is spending their money on one of our shows, I want them to get their dang money’s worth.”
He also stated “I give the band a little pep talk before each show, and one of the last things we agree on before setting foot on the stage is to leave it all on the stage as if it were our last night to perform. We genuinely appreciate our fans and folks that come to our shows and just want to always give them every ounce of us that we can.”
One might not expect it, but Brady is also a real estate agent. He said he learned a lot from role models growing up. He would seek out knowledgeable people and tell them he’d work for them for free if they would teach him what they knew. He said that most of them were involved in real estate in one way or another, so he took what he knew and applied it. He chuckled “It’s funny, because I am always me, even in real estate, even when dealing with suits and ties. But I think me being “me” and always being transparent with folks has gone a long way.”
Whether attending one of their shows or streaming their tunes, it’s easy to see that Brady doesn’t believe in rules when writing or performing. It is also easy to get a wild, edgy, party feel from him and his crew. While they may portray that on stage, it seems like that’s where they leave most of it each night.
Brady’s songs are described as rich with rock and country vibes as well as an alternative and even punk feel. He recently released an EP “Pillow Talk” and has several songs in the works. We caught up with the artist and visionary to find out more about what drives him and where he envisions his music career going.
Brady, was it challenging to go from being already established in real estate to now building a music career?
In some ways, yes. You know, I had to maneuver how I made my family a living and do things a little differently. I had to put an assistant in place and probably take a little of a pay cut, but when you’re able to do something you love, it seems way worth it. I also had multiple people telling me it was a dumb decision, but my stubborn self, when I set my mind to something, there is no convincing me otherwise.
At what point did you decide you had to make the jump into music?
There has always been a constant yearning in my heart to pursue it. But I got married real young and had kiddos and all that stuff and I felt obligated to be able to provide for them so they never had to live like I did growing up. Once I kinda got the family taken care of I just had to do music. I thought about it all the time. And talked about it all the time and just felt a big void by not pursuing it. I have always written, and stayed involved with music, but I wanted to go all in, so about two years ago, we sat down, had a serious talk, and decided to go all in and do what makes me tick.
Who are some of your musical heroes?
There’s too many to count haha. Elvis, I love how he was always true to himself and his beliefs no matter the cost. I love his spirit, his songs, and his choreography… also Merle Haggard because I didn’t go a day without hearing him from age 5-15. His music had always hit home. The list is probably too big for the time we’ve got here haha. Pretty much all of your old school country cats, old school rappers, the older rock bands, Randy Travis, Waylon, Biggie Smalls, 2pac, Snoop Dogg, Randy Rogers, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Travis Barker, heck man…. I couldn’t list them all.
How would you classify your music?
The music with no rules. Rock, Country, Alternative, Punk, who knows, may throw a rap ballad in somewhere one day haha.
Do you have some songs that are favorites to perform live?
“7 Mile Curve” is definitely my favorite. And then we cover the first song I ever played on guitar called “Johnson Boys” It was written by RC Edwards and the Potential Getaway Drivers. But that song is a banger. Me and the band get pretty hyped up over it everytime.
What’s the best part about performing live?
The first time a crowd was singing lyrics to one of our songs back to us, that was the best dang feeling in the world. The energy and vibes you get interacting with a crowd is awesome. And getting to meet new people at different places.
How would you describe your fan base?
It’s pretty diverse I feel like. Lots of country folks. Lots of outdoors people. We got a lot of wild party animals, a lot of laid back folks, etc. Honestly theres no way to describe them as a whole, other than awesome. One thing I have noticed though is that they are super loyal, and dang, we appreciate them. It’s so humbling to be a part of such an awesome group of people.
Tell us about your songwriting process?
I wouldn’t say I have a consistent one. I had a pretty interesting childhood that kind of harnessed a lot of the emotion into my writing. But I get a lot of ideas when driving, I’ll hum or I’ll think about conversations I’ve had… or relationships I’ve had. Or even things I hear people say or memories… you know, really anything… I use my phone a lot to take quick random things down that I might think of, so that I can come back to it later. I also still use a notebook a lot, especially when I’m trying to piece songs together with a guitar and stuff. Sometimes I write in silence and sometimes I write while listening to rap music. Really, I have no consistent way of writing.
How much music do you have out there?
We’ve currently got eight songs out there and have several in the works!
Where would you like to see your music career go in the next few years?
I have never found anything that makes me tick like this. I love it so dang much. It really makes me tick, and I am extremely passionate about it. I really hope to be able to do it all the time. We have some show goals we would love to meet… some festivals we’d love to play. We’d love to do some collabs with some cool artists and meet cool people. And to be able to help others through it as well in some way… somehow. Maybe help others feel that same feeling other artists made me feel growing up or make me feel now?
All in all, it can be gathered that Brady Wilcox is just getting started. The story of his life and career could be an inspiration for anyone trying to overcome adversity. I would add something here maybe.
For more information, visit: https://www.bradywilcox.com
Photo Credits: Gerlach Media
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