I discovered Garrett Newton through his performance with his band the Lovesick Drifters at the R.A. Fountain Country Store in Fountain, North Carolina.
Described as a Hank Williams Sr. tribute band, Garrett and his talented team of troubadours brought life to William’s music while adding some comedic flair and down-home hospitality.
Not only does he sound like Hank vocally, but Garrett also remarkably resembles the late singer, being close in age to the last birthday Hank ever saw and has put in great effort trying to learn all about his life and share his story with the public.
As a young boy, Garrett was surrounded by the older generation. He spent a great deal of time with his grandparents on a secluded family homeplace in Selma, North Carolina, and remembers listening to music with them. His grandparents had records of many greats, especially in the bluegrass world, such as Reno and Smiley, the Stanley Brothers, and Flatt and Scruggs. Radio shows with bluegrass legends were also a part of those childhood days and not only did their music linger, but his memories of the fine people the musicians were when they came to town and played a show have stuck with him as well.
Garrett got his own start in the music business in the bluegrass world, playing banjo alongside Lorraine Jordan. He still tours with the bluegrass group but has enjoyed changing it up with his role as lead singer of the Lovesick Drifters.
The Lovesick Drifters show consists of numerous Hank Williams covers, as well as several original tracks written by Garrett and a few songs written by friends of his. Interspersed between the music, Garrett tells jokes that evoke a chorus of laughter from his audience. His talent for comedic timing is in fact something else he attributes to his grandparents and the older generation.
Joking aside, Garrett is well-versed in Hank history and shares information to educate people about Hank’s life. In fact, Garrett has visited Georgiana, Alabama, where Hank was born and has seen how the highway coming through has transformed this crossroads in the years since. His interest in uncovering stories about Hank’s life is a public service in the sense that much of Hank’s short life has been shrouded in mystery due to lost memorabilia in the Nashville flood and to his untimely passing right before television really took off and the Opry gained television traction. Garrett has worked to fill in those gaps and has watched all the movies, read all the books, and visited with everyone he could find who saw Hank live years ago.
While he wants to do Hank’s music, dress up like him, and pay homage to the legend, he’s content being Garrett Newton and doesn’t try to act like Hank. He’s quick to say after he’s done playing music he will go right back to work like the rest of the folks in the audience. Paired with his upbringing to be kind and respectable, he comes across as a genuine, likeable young man who lives the rural life.
When not playing music, Garret drives a gas truck. He has previously worked on a tobacco and cattle farm as well, all vocations that play into country lyrics. He enjoys deer hunting, or deer watching, as he affectionately calls it and has always found pleasure in gardening after years helping his grandfather plant sunflower fields for dove hunting.
Garrett’s trademark style of music is the older style of country characterized by non-pedal, tic tac rhythm. This style was largely used in the 1950s. His newest album, Volume 2 was just released a few weeks ago and is available on Spotify. Another album will be released this winter featuring a lot of pedal with the talented Clyde Mattocks on the steel guitar and a lot of Carl Smith content. This will include a cover of Psycho by Zach Kittle with 3 steel breaks.
Garrett’s own music is a treasure in itself, and his talented band and authentic covers of Hank’s beloved songs make his performances a delight.
To support Garrett and the Lovesick Drifters, you can follow them on Spotify and YouTube, come to a show (February 1 at the Rudy Theatre), or simply reach out to him on Facebook to follow his new music releases and upcoming tour dates.
All photo credit to Donna Newton.
