Stephen Wilson Jr. was raised in southern Indiana by a single father, a boxer who started training him at seven, and he made it to the Indiana State Golden Gloves finals. He worked as a scientist and played lead guitar in an indie rock band before 2016, when he left the lab and signed a publishing deal with BMG Nashville. Caitlyn Smith, Old Dominion, Brothers Osborne and Tim McGraw are among the acts who've cut his songs.
His own records took longer. Big Loud signed him in 2023 and put out the bon aqua EP, then "Father's Son," a song about carrying his late dad's name while trying to work out his own identity, then søn of dad, a 22-song double album dedicated to him. Wilson calls the sound "Death Cab for Country": indie rock and grunge pushed into country, with The National, Willie Nelson and Nirvana as touchstones. He made his Stagecoach debut that year, too.
In 2025 he picked up a CMA nomination for New Artist of the Year and performed twice on the broadcast, once with Shaboozey on "Took A Walk." In August he released Blankets, an EP of Nirvana, Temple of the Dog, Postal Service and Smashing Pumpkins covers, and in May 2026 the "Cuckoo" video won him his first ACM Award. That November he premiered "Gary" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a slow-building rock song about the practical, capable men he worries are disappearing, then played two sold-out nights at the Ryman. 2026 was the Gary The Torch Tour, with "Hardwired," featuring Miranda Lambert, out in August.