When Vincent Neil Emerson’s songs started popping up in my “based on your recent listening” playlist, I figured he was an artist who had been around for many years and who, thanks to the algorithms of today’s technology, I was somehow just now discovering. (After all, I probably never would have discovered Ferlin Husky or Bobby Bare without those magical algorithms.) I should have known better! Even though my playlists are inundated with Charley Crockett, Karen Jonas, Joshua Ray Walker, Angaleena Presley and Colter Wall, all modern-day artists whose music is closer to the country sound of days gone by than to the current one, my mind automatically equated Mr. Emerson’s sound to that of the bygone artists who are also heavily present in my listening rotation: Townes Van Zandt, Merle Haggard, and Blaze Foley (all favorites and inspirations of Emerson’s). Vincent’s songs, storytelling, and sound are a completely unexpected departure from the pop country music of today and entirely something one expects to hear from the legends of country, from the days of yore.

Vincent Neil Emerson | All Photos By Melissa Payne

It wasn’t until last September, when I caught a Colter Wall show in Fayetteville, AR, that I realized Vincent is indeed from the crowd of modern-day country artists reviving the past of country music and not an artist from years past. Other than listening to Emerson’s songs when they shuffled through my roster of music, I knew nothing else of him and didn’t even realize he was opening for Colter. Not until I struck up a conversation with the stranger standing beside me did I gather that VNE would be the opener that night. I remember musing about Vince’s age and the stranger flashing me a “you’re a damn idiot” glance, as if to politely let me know I was wrong, but not wanting to say so. Instead of pointing out my blunder, she simply responded that she didn’t know much about him either and that she was attending the show at the behest of her long-distance friend who urged her to catch Emerson perform live. When he took the stage, it dawned on me why the stranger glared at me like she did.

Vincent Neil Emerson | The Oklahoma Reviews

VNE is nowhere near the age I had once supposed him to be, yet his music fits so wholly into the era of country I had been presuming I had never given it a second thought. Having been compared to Guy Clark’s, his sound is a mix of honky tonk crooning, a little bit of outlaw country roots, and a good dose of sly humor. Vincent’s songs are a throwback to the kind of music that plays in the background of all my childhood memories. It’s exactly what my Papa would have had playing from the radio in his garage as we tinkered together with whatever project he was working on at the time, back when country music was more about telling stories, feeling heartaches and celebrating good times. It’s somewhat hard to believe Emerson didn’t start writing songs until his late teens or that he started performing simply as a way to bring in extra cash, at first, never really giving a second thought to much more than the money. Making $100 for a three-hour show was much more beneficial to him than working eight hours a day for $7.25 an hour. And so, he started booking shows more frequently. He says from there, it’s all been about writing more songs, creating more music and being asked to play in more places with lots of different folks: Turnpike Troubadours, Shooter Jennings, American Aquarium, and Colter Wall.

Raised by a single mother, Vincent grew up poor in East Texas; he left home around the age of 16. He says he’s had his share of tragedies and heartbreak, has been through a lot for someone his age, but supposes that’s just a part of living. Emerson somewhat attributes his career aspirations to that hardscrabble life and reckons a lot of those struggles have found their way into his music. Most of his songs talk about his life experiences and how they’ve affected him. He says that’s what songwriting should be like: from the heart, about what you know and how you’ve lived.

Emerson has just completed another stint touring with Colter Wall. They played shows in multiple venues, from Kansas to Iowa to Colorado. I was lucky enough to catch him at his merch table after their show in Lawrence, KS, and chat for a minute. He says that meeting and talking with his fans after shows is a surprising favorite of his. He’s never been much of a people person, but interacting with folks so often has been a great experience. He has also just released his cover of “Manhattan Island Serenade” and will do the debut live performance of this Leon Russell classic at The Mercury Lounge in Tulsa during his show, on February 1, 2020. He says that debuting his latest release in Tulsa, Russell’s old stomping grounds, is something he’s been looking forward to for quite a while.

VNE made his stop at The Mercury Lounge this past Saturday night. For those paying attention, it’s evident that Emerson won’t always be playing the smaller venues. This young singer/songwriter is destined to headline the big stages all across the country and beyond. A brilliant songwriter, combined with that big stage presence, makes Vincent one of the top emerging artists on our watchlist. You can learn more about VNE’s recent release, Fried Chicken and Evil Women, here: theoklahomareviews.com/home/2019/10/16/vincent-neil-emerson-fried-chicken-and-evil-women