A Texas-born country singer/songwriter influenced by the outlaw country and neo-traditionalist stars of the 1970s and '80s, Wade Bowen emerged in the early 2000s with a Texas country/red dirt style that eventually began to incorporate elements of contemporary country, gospel, and pop/rock. A regional fixture in the early part of his career, Bowen broke into the mainstream with the release of his third LP, 2008's If We Ever Make It Home. His move to Sony imprint BNA Records in 2010 earned him an even bigger audience, leading to acclaimed outings like The Given (2012) and the Randy Rogers duet LP Hold My Beer Vol. 1 (2015), the latter of which elicited a 2020 sequel.