Dirty boots, Young County roots: Ricketts breaks into country music industry

From a young age Texas country music had an impact on Olney native Race Ricketts and influenced the music he plays today. As Ricketts closes in on the release of his debut studio album “940,” he looks back at his journey to make it to where he is now.

Ricketts was born in Graham and grew up in Olney being exposed to music and acting, the latter of which he pursued at the University of Oklahoma after graduating from Olney High School in 2017.

“When I was (at OU) I was the only student… in my field of study that at the time had come from a rural area and knew what this kind of music was,” Ricketts said. “It was really an anchor for me when I was either missing home or trying to feel connected to home. That music was a thing that kept me grounded a lot of the time, a thing I could kind of lean on.”

It was during his freshman year in college that he started to write his own music after playing guitar since he was in junior high school.

“I loved playing music and I just started writing by accident. It wasn't something that I did on purpose. It was more or less a therapeutic outlet. It was a fun thing to do. It was a good stress reliever,” he said. “It was almost like turning on the TV at the end of getting off work. Instead, I would just pick up the guitar and just start jotting some words down. ...It was when I was in college that I finished a couple of songs by accident and I didn't absolutely hate them for the first time and so I kept them around and I just kept doing that.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic rolled around, Ricketts already had a handful of songs in his back pocket and the downtime gave him and his friends time to write and record songs. Moving into his senior year in college his collection “Bozo” was released.

“Bozo... was recorded in my best friend's one-bedroom apartment in the middle of the summer in 2020, just as hot as can be. The railroad track was right there so trains were buzzing by ruining takes and we had to turn the refrigerator and AC off because you can hear them over the microphone,” he said. “I mean, just really low-fi, you know, college kids doing the best they can with no money. We just took 10 of what at the time were my best songs and put them together.”

Ricketts made the decision he wanted to make a real break into the music industry and said he had no idea where to start, but had songs in his back pocket and a desire to push forward. Booking any gig he could, he took to the stage whenever possible.

“I would go to any open mic type of event in the Norman, OKC, Stillwater area, just to practice playing my songs in front of people because acting a character versus playing your songs as yourself are two wildly different experiences,” he said. “Playing your songs and giving your stories and your heart can be a wildly more vulnerable experience at times and a bit scary. So I knew that was something that I needed to do more of (and) test the songs out and see if what I've got is not just best friends and mom and dad telling me you got good songs.”

He was driving back to Texas every weekend from Oklahoma to come play a show or two and was considering making the move back permanently after graduating college.

Ricketts hit the reset button and moved back to Olney and worked at Southern Bleacher Company in Graham while playing shows on the weekends and later days in the week before he got an idea.

“I had several people tell me that I need to get involved with this thing called Larry Joe Taylor's songwriter showcase. ...(In) Stephenville, where they host Larry Joe Taylor's Texas Music Festival, ...they host this songwriter showcase,” he said. “You submit two of what you think are your best songs in an email through a video. About 250 to 300 people just about every year submit to get in and I think they pick... around 20 to 25 people. The winner gets to play the festival and a whole bunch of other really cool things that the winner gets to do.”

Ricketts said he didn’t care about winning the showcase, but wanted to use the opportunity to connect with those in the industry.

“I entered, I got in and went and did the showcase and was there just about every week... and I won my week. They take the top two every week. They usually had about four or five songwriters play their songs every week, and the top two would move on,” he said. “...I went to the finals my first week. And then, for whatever reason, they thought I ought to win the thing so I won the 10th year of that. And with that, that's where I got to record 940 in the studio... at Melody Mountain Ranch.”

Ricketts said that getting involved with the Taylor family changed everything for him and was the springboard for his career.

“Getting that song (940) out to our home area, and even areas beyond... people really resonated with that song. Not just for where we live, but that's a relatable song for many people outside of it as well. I've had people from Michigan all the way to Florida and Georgia tell me that they thought that song was about where they were from,” he said. “That's a really cool thing to hear that your words are reaching that many people.”

Ricketts’ online presence has also seen success with over 13,000 followers on the video platform Tik Tok and over 136,000 likes across his videos.

Since the recording of the song 940, Ricketts has been recording non-stop after working with The Zone Recording Studio in Dripping Springs. His debut studio album “940” has 11 songs and will be released Thursday, April 6 digitally on iTunes and streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.

An album release show will be held April 6 at Melody Mountain Ranch in Stephenville inside T-Birds Garage Pub with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the show starting at 8:30 p.m. The album release show has a $15 admission and tickets can be purchased at store.larryjoetaylor.com.

Ricketts said his goal is having a traveling band that shares music that continues to leave a lasting impression even when he is gone.

“I'd love to just have a touring band, just being able to support ourselves and support my bands' lives and families in whatever way that keeps us going and… continuing to make music that just leaves a mark, leaves a legacy. You know, making music that lasts beyond us I think is what myself and a good handful of writers that I'm close to really believe in,” he said. “I think longevity is something we talk about a lot in this business and… as long as we can keep food in our mouths, a roof over our head and still be able to hit the road, make good music and keep making good music that people want to keep hearing and will continue to listen to for years to come, is I think the ultimate goal right now.”