Briston Lee Maroney is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from
Knoxville
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
who is signed to Canvasback Music and
Atlantic Records. He has released two EPs through the labels, including his most recent collection, "Sunflower” which was partially released and the full album was released April 9, 2021.
Early life
Briston Maroney largely grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In August 2013, at age 15, Maroney tried out for the
13th season of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' at one of its audition bus stops in Knoxville.
He was then selected to audition in front of the ''American Idol'' judges in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
. There, he sang a version of
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
' "
You Can't Always Get What You Want
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones on their 1969 album ''Let It Bleed''. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it was named as the 100th greatest song of all time by ''Rolling Stone'' ...
" on an episode that aired in January 2014.
The judges voted to advance him to Hollywood,
where he became one of 30 semi-finalists.
Maroney did not advance beyond that point.
Maroney sang and played guitar in the
bluegrass band Subtle Clutch from 2013 to 2015. The band began busking on the street corners of Knoxville, and played venues such as
Dollywood
Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly ...
, The Square Room, and the
WDVX
WDVX is a community radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The station, which broadcasts via its main signal at 89.9 FM, also has translators at 93.9 and 102.9 MHz.
WDVX plays American roots music, including bluegrass, Americana, class ...
Blue Plate Special, as well as music festivals such as Knoxville's Rhythm N' Blooms.
Maroney attended
Lipscomb University
Lipscomb University is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike o ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee, where he studied music.
Career
In 2015, he independently released his first EP, ''Reason to Shake.''
In 2017, Maroney independently released an EP called ''Big Shot''.
In 2018, he began releasing new tracks, including "Under My Skin",
"I've Been Waiting",
and "Freakin' Out on the Interstate". Those songs all appeared on his first EP with Canvasback Music and Atlantic Records called ''Carnival'', released in November 2018.
"Freakin' Out on the Interstate" ended up being certified Gold by
RIAA in 2021. In March 2019, Maroney made his first appearance at
South by Southwest.
He also opened for
Liz Cooper & The Stampede
Liz Cooper & The Stampede is a three-piece American rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. NPR described their music as "a seamless balance of muted rhythmic sounds and propulsive drive that feels so good".
Overview
Liz Cooper spent the majority ...
and
Wallows
Wallows is an American alternative rock band based in Los Angeles composed of Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters, and Cole Preston. The band began releasing songs independently in April 2017 starting with "Pleaser", which reached number two on t ...
on their respective tours that year.
In May 2019, he released his second major label EP, ''Indiana'', a collection of songs focusing on the change that came from his time spent living between Knoxville,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, and ultimately his move to Nashville. ''Indiana'' featured the lead single "Caroline".
Later that month, another song from the collection, "Fool's Gold", was featured on
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
"Playlist by ME!".
A music video for that song was released the following month.
He performed at Austin City Limits Music Festival in October 2019.
Maroney cites
John Prine
John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...
,
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
, and
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...
as some early influences. He has also expressed his appreciation for indie rock bands like
Wallows
Wallows is an American alternative rock band based in Los Angeles composed of Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters, and Cole Preston. The band began releasing songs independently in April 2017 starting with "Pleaser", which reached number two on t ...
,
The Districts, and
Illiterate Light, as well as current Americana acts such as
Dogwood Tales,
Jason Isbell
Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell h ...
, and
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Texa ...
.
Personal life
Maroney stated that, within the span of about a month in 2018, he dropped out of college, ended a relationship, and, thus, had to find a permanent place to stay and a stable job to work at. Despite being underage at that time, he went to rehab for about two months. He kept figuring out what to do with his life as he moved from Knoxville to California, from there to Florida, and from Florida back to Nashville, during which time he decided to keep pursuing a career in music.
Discography
EPs
Singles
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maroney, Briston
Atlantic Records artists
Musicians from Knoxville, Tennessee
Songwriters from Tennessee
Folk musicians from Tennessee
American Idol participants
Living people
1998 births