Nashville-based rising star Stephen Wilson Jr. has released his new single ‘Hardwired’ featuring Miranda Lambert. Co-written by Wilson Jr., Jesse Frasure, Adam Hood, and Miranda Lambert, ‘Hardwired’ is a vivid portrait of working-class perseverance that culminates in a stunning interpolation of The Pixies iconic song ‘Where Is My Mind?‘. The song is released alongside a hypnotic and hair-raising visualiser directed by Jace Kartye.
‘Hardwired’ is anchored by Wilson Jr.’s signature gut string acoustic guitar playing that has earned him recognition from Guitar World and Premier Guitar, who recently featured him in a six-page print feature in their August 2026 issue.
‘Hardwired’ follows last month’s release of “Gary” (Live From CMA Fest 2026) and his most recent single ‘Preacher’s Kid‘, which was named Song You Need To Know by Rolling Stone and was featured in Billboard’s New Music Friday Guide. All Country News proclaimed, “[the] sprawling, electrifying new track that arrives as both a statement and a reminder of why Wilson remains one of the most fascinating storytellers working today.”
Wilson Jr. premiered ‘Gary’ late last year with an electrifying performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and also performed it on This Past Weekend with Theo Von and The Howard Stern Show. In March, he released the official video for ‘Gary’, which stars award-winning actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13). The song is currently in the Top 40 on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart.
The official video for ‘Gary’ marked his ninth collaboration with director Tim Cofield who also directed his official video for ‘Cuckoo‘, which took home the ACM Award for Visual Media of the Year in May.
Throughout the rest of the year, Wilson Jr. will tour the US and Europe on his headline Gary The Torch Tour that will culminate with two shows at The Truth in Nashville, TN on December 11 and 12. He will also tour as part of the Outlaw Music Festival this summer, and will support Dave Matthews Band on September 4 at the Gorge Amphitheater and Brandi Carlile on September 11-13 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Find a full list of tour dates below or visit his website.
UK dates in bold below
2026 Tour Dates:
8/7 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre #
8/8 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater #
8/18 – Maryland Heights, MO – Outlaw Music Festival *
8/21 – East Troy, WI – Outlaw Music Festival *
8/22 – Clarkston, MI – Outlaw Music Festival *
8/23 – Noblesville, IN – Outlaw Music Festival *
8/25 – Tinley Park, IL – Outlaw Music Festival *
8/28 – Wantagh, NY – Outlaw Music Festival *
8/29 – Bethel, NY – Outlaw Music Festival *
8/30 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Outlaw Music Festival *
9/4 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre ^
9/6 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium #
9/11–9/13 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre %
9/15 – Spokane, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest #
9/17 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre #
9/18 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre # SOLD OUT
9/19 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Grand Lodge (Concerts in the Grove) # SOLD OUT
9/22 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater #
9/24 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic #
9/29 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre #
10/1 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory #
10/2 – Helotes, TX – John T. Floore Country Store #
10/3 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall #
10/15 – Belfast, UK – SSE Arena #
10/17 – Sligo, IE – Sligo Live Festival * SOLD OUT
10/19 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow # SOLD OUT
10/20 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow # SOLD OUT
10/22 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton #
10/23 – Bristol, UK – The Prospect Building # SOLD OUT
10/25 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse # SOLD OUT
10/27 – Paris, FR – Le Trianon #
10/29 – Zurich, CH – Volkshaus #
10/30 – Cologne, DE – Theater am Tanzbrunnen # SOLD OUT
11/1 – Utrecht, NL – TivoliVredenburg (Ronda) # SOLD OUT
11/3 – Copenhagen, DK – VEGA # SOLD OUT
11/4 – Stockholm, SE – Fållan # SOLD OUT
11/5 – Oslo, NO – Sentrum Scene # SOLD OUT
11/20–11/22 – St. Petersburg, FL – St. Pete Country Fest *
11/21 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company # SOLD OUT
12/2 – Pittsburgh, PA – Citizens Live at The Wylie #
12/9 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy #
12/11 – Nashville, TN – The Truth # SOLD OUT
12/12 – Nashville, TN – The Truth #
1/20-23 – Cancun, MX – Dave & Tim Riviera Maya 2027
* Festival
# Gary The Torch Tour
^ Supporting Dave Matthews Band
% Supporting Brandi Carlile
About Stephen Wilson Jr.:
Stephen Wilson Jr.’s journey from the hollers of southern Indiana to Nashville, Tenn. has been a winding road that’s taken many detours: He’s been an Indiana State Golden Gloves boxing finalist, a scientist, and a lead guitarist and songwriter in an indie rock band. In 2016, he ditched his laboratory nine-to-five and signed a publishing deal with BMG Nashville where his alchemic song craft immediately made waves, earning cuts from Caitlyn Smith, Old Dominion, Tim McGraw, Sixpence None the Richer, Leigh Nash, and more.
2023 proved to be Wilson Jr.’s breakthrough year, signing with Big Loud Records and releasing his debut double album ‘søn of dad‘: a triumphant, genre-spanning set of 22 songs dedicated to his late father and given to the world on the five-year anniversary of his death. The album was named the No. 1 album of 2023 by Holler who called it “a record for the ages”, and earned a spot as one of the best albums of the year from Whiskey Riff, Wide Open Country, music critic Grady Smith, and Rolling Stone.
Last year, he toured with Brothers Osborne, The Cadillac Three, Midland, Hailey Whitters, and The Lone Bellow, with debuts at the Grand Ole Opry, Stagecoach, the Ryman Auditorium, CMA Fest, and Red Rocks. This year, he’ll hit the road with HARDY, Brothers Osborne, Charles Wesley Godwin, and The Cadillac Three with festival appearances at C2C, Tortuga, Stagecoach, Country Thunder, and more.
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