Mercury Lounge, July 13, 2019. On a steamy night in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the headliner, Jamie Lin Wilson took the stage first and the support act, Osage Country, rocked the dive bar until last call. The very talented singer/songwriter was backed by Naj Conklin on bass guitar, Luke Tallon on drums, and Cody Angel on the pedal steel. The night kicked off with a fan favorite, “Ordinary People,” from her 2010 EP, Dirty Blonde Hair. Throughout the evening, the crowd stood in front of the stage, listening intently to Wilson’s stories and sang along to all of the songs. The set included “Everybody’s Moving Slow,” “Run,” and a personal favorite, “Just Like Heartache.” Wilson was also joined by young artist T.L. Moore for her tune, “Oklahoma Stars.” As a fulltime, touring musician, Jamie Lin Wilson, is one of those artists that belong in the top percentage of those with that extra special “it” factor. Her shows at the Mercury Lounge Tulsa are always packed and should never be missed. Go see JLW anytime she is in your neck of the woods. 

Jamie Lin Wilson currently resides with her husband Roy and their four children in D’Hanis, a tiny town outside of San Antonio on the Seco Creek in South Texas. While the rest of the family joins her when they can, you will often see the youngest of her four children cradeled in her arms before and after each show, as he has spent much of his early life on the road. A hardworking singer/songwriter and mother, Jamie was taught to be independent while growing up on her parents’ horse farm in Sealy, Texas. “My dad used to tell us that we couldn’t ride by ourselves until we could put a saddle on by ourselves, so we figured out how to bring the horse to the water trough and put the saddle on together,” she recalls. “We were only like 6 and 8, but we figured it out, and my dad’s like, ‘Well, all right, have fun.’ So, all of a sudden, we had wheels. We used to ride our horses to our friends’ houses, even across the highway, two or three miles down the road.” 

Horses, and her upbringing in small town Texas, have both played a major role in sculpting who she is as a singer, songwriter, and as a person. “Horses teach you how to deal with people, how to approach certain situations,” she says. “You don’t know what you’re getting into, whether it’s a horse or a 2-year-old child. They gave my brother and I a lot of confidence and independence.” Musically, Wilson is a very late bloomer to the game, as she did not pick up a guitar until her college years at Texas A&M. Within a short time, she was writing songs and playing side gigs with the Gougers. They released two albums and an EP while playing live gigs extensively. In 2009, Wilson performed at MusicFest with friends Kelley Mickwee, Liz Foster and Savannah Welch. The trio did so well with their performance, that they formed a group called the Trishas. The Trishas became very popular on the touring circuit, and they released an EP in 2010, and an acclaimed album in 2012 titled, “High, Wide & Handsome.” During her time with the Trishas, Wilson released her own solo EP, “Dirty Blonde Hair,” in 2010 and later her debut full length album, “Holidays & Wedding Rings,” in 2016. Her newest album, “Jumping Over Rocks,” was released on October 26, 2018. Though the album was released late in the year, it was considered by many to be in the running for Album of the Year across many critic and media publications. If you have yet to listen to this production, get it. If you have yet to see her live show, go see her. She truly is all the hype and more, and has proven with everything she does that she is one of the best songwriters and performers in the business today.

Photography by Melissa Payne: melissapaynephotography.com
Follow and Like Osage County: facebook.com/osagecountymusic/
Jamie Lin Wilson: jamielinwilson.com