Jackson Dean: May Country Rookie of the Month
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With an older-than-his-years sound and the kind of gritty vocal that has been burning up the country charts lately, Jackson Dean is making an impact with his breakthrough single, “Don’t Come Lookin’.” The song sits at No. 23 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart and was featured in the hit series Yellowstone. Dean co-wrote the track with Luke Dick, known for his work with Miranda Lambert, Eric Church and more.
“We didn’t really have a title and were just in a block for two hours at his studio, just smoking and thinking,” Dean tells Billboard of the writing session for “Don’t Come Lookin’.” “We had that big thumpin’ vibe and I kind of mumbled something under my breath that I used to say to my mom, ‘If I don’t come back, don’t come looking.’ And he whipped his head around and said, ‘That’s what we’re writing today.’ But it was just something I would tell my mom if I was running off in the woods for a day or so. She’d say, ‘Stay alive no matter what occurs,’ and I’d say that. It was just a little shot at each other for a while, and it became a radio song.”
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Growing up, the Maryland native spent time working for his father’s construction business, but also learned to play guitar in the woods near his home, which is near a swamp and a gun range.
“I spent more time there than I did with other humans, really,” he says. “There was a gap between me and my siblings so I was by myself a lot. Pops was working and mom was ‘el presidente’ of the company so she was working payroll and keeping the books. I was a little country kid, just worked my whole life and played all the sports.”
Back in 2018, as a senior at Arundel High School in Gambrills, Maryland, Dean offered up a moody, acoustic rendition of the national anthem during a football game and footage of the performance went viral. That led to an appearance on The Steve Harvey Show, and Dean went on to release a couple of indie projects. Now signed with Big Machine Label Group, he released his debut EP last year, and in March followed with his debut full-length major label album, the 10-song collection Greenbroke, which Dick also produced. He’s also inked deals with TKO Artist Management, WME for booking and Little Louder Music for publishing. Little Louder Music was formed by Church and Arturo Buenahora.
“We sold out Rams Head [in Annapolis, Md.] three times in a row and started getting calls from booking agencies,” Dean recalls of building his team. As he was signing with WME, the agency’s Nashville co-head and partner Jay Williams “stepped out of the meeting and literally called Arturo Buenahora like 12 times,” Dean says. “I met with Arturo the next day and about a month later got a pub deal.”
A record deal came quickly as well. Dean was opening for Dick at Nashville’s The Basement East. “There ended up being nine labels there that night, half heavy hitters and then half dudes that probably couldn’t get you a big deal, but were there to scope out the scene,” he says. So far, Dean’s music has tallied 8.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate.
Dean spoke with Billboard about his early musical performances, watching Dierks Bentley’s Burning Man tour, and his career bucket list.
When did you realize you had a talent for music?
It wasn’t until about middle school that I figured out I could sing. My sister had done a musical and I remember going to see her when I was real little. So I thought I would give it a try. One year I was Danny Zuko, because I told them the only way I would do it is if it was Grease. Then I picked up the guitar and started learning and watching people’s hands playing. Then it took off.
What was one of the first songs you ever performed?
One of the first songs I played live was Ronnie Dunn’s “Cost of Livin’.” I was 14, and it was after I had done those musical things. My dad really pushed me to do it. For about six months I turned him down, then I just said, “Screw it, let’s go.” It was a bar called The Town Grille, and they called everybody and their mother, like 160 people packed into this place. I think my great-grandfather might have built it. There’s a whole lot of pictures of my family in there, at least on my mother’s side. I did two Drake White tunes and when I played the Ronnie Dunn song, the room just went still. My dad was in the back of the room and that was one of the first moments I watched him stand there and cry. It was one of those first “Oh, s–t” moments.
And now you a gearing up to open some shows for Brooks & Dunn.
It will be such a full-circle moment. I think Ronnie [Dunn] has one of the best voices of our time, just really all around.
What does your mom think of “Don’t Come Lookin'”?
She loves it. I’ve written about my father and my brothers but nothing about mama until that one. For the longest time, she said she felt like the Disney mom — like, “I’m the Disney mom, the one that’s always dead, even though I’m not really dead.” So she likes it.
What music did your family listen to when you were growing up?
Music was always around. My father is a stonemason, a bricklayer at a big company that he built himself. So we were always on the job site and there was always a radio there. My dad loves funk, country, blues, Howlin’ Wolf to Hank Jr. Mom loves [Bruce] Springsteen. One brother loved ska, reggae and bluegrass, and the other one loved rap and hard metal. My sister loved top 40. So I got a broad palette.
What is it like working with Luke on this album?
He’s like my sensei. We love so many of the same things — a good groove, a good headbang, mystical sh-t. He’s a great hang and I’ve learned so much from him.
What is the first concert you remember seeing?
I think the first legit, pay-to-get-in concert was at Merriweather [Post Pavilion] and it was the first night of Dierks Bentley’s Burning Man tour. I will never forget, I got so hammered on the lawn. It was LANCO, Brothers Osborne and Dierks. It was awesome. I remember watching the Brothers and they grew up about 20 minutes away from me. I remember watching them sing “21 Summer” and being with my friends, and we all loved that song. Then they did “Burning Man” and it was even more epic. Then, a few years later, I got the freakin’ demo that Luke and Bobby Pinson made for it. It’s a funny, full-circle moment.
Who would you want to collaborate with?
I would love to do something with Robert Plant. He was a big influence on my voice, him and [Chris] Stapleton. But I’d love to do some stuff with [Eric] Church. I mean, the man pays my salary at Little Louder, so I’d love to work with the bossman, and he’s also the Chief. Stapleton, too — I loved The SteelDrivers and the Jompson Brothers records.
If you were not doing music, what would you be doing as a career?
I could have gone a few different ways. I did [vocational technical school] and could have been running my own work and doing it like my dad did, from the ground up. Then the other half of me, which is still there, is to go [like mountain man] Jeremiah Johnson, and completely live off the grid in a cabin.
What are your bucket list goals?
Playing the Ryman is at the top of that list, but mostly I just want to make dope a– music and travel and play.
