Josh Phillips

Originating from Sanford, North Carolina, Josh Phillips channeled a working-class upbringing and early baseball talent into a career as a country singer and songwriter whose material fuses honky tonk spirit with rock & roll swagger. A knee injury sustained during college abruptly ended his prospects with the Atlanta Braves organization after he had been scouted while still in high school, sending him into a period of deep depression. In 2012 the guitar became his outlet, and Phillips soon demonstrated an instinctive ability for songwriting that led him to perform live whenever opportunities arose. Steady gigs at clubs and festivals followed, along with opening slots for Cole Swindell, Tyler Farr, Chris Janson, and Sam Hunt. He relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2015 to pursue broader prospects and that same year issued the independent digital single “What the Buzz Is All About” as his audience continued to expand. Persistent road work produced tangible results in June 2017 when he entered a publishing arrangement with Warner/Chappell Music in association with Write or Die Music, after which Luke Combs recorded “Can I Get an Outlaw” and Warren Stone cut “Up in Smoke.” Three months later Big Machine Records completed a recording contract, releasing the five-song Lee County EP: The Acoustic Sessions before September concluded.