Mason Lively
Next Generation Texas Songwriter
Born in Victoria, Texas, but raised just outside of town in the rural community of Inez, Mason grew up in a country music atmosphere. Though he enjoyed and was exposed to many types of music, he would obsessively listen to artists far beyond his years, like Willie Nelson, The Eagles, and Merle Haggard to name a few. Growing up, while also being influenced by Pop, Folk, Soul, Blues, and Classic Rock, Mason started to take interest and study the songwriting of artists from his home state’s music scene. As a result, when he started playing guitar at age 14, Mason claims that song-writing "sort of snuck up on him" not long after that. Years later, with the release of his 2018 debut album “Stronger Ties”, Lively and his band hit the road, touring all over Texas and the regional south. Lively then released his sophomore self-titled album on March 19th, 2021, Co-produced by Wade Bowen.
WIlliam Beckmann
Next Generation Texas Songwriter
Hailing from the small border town of Del Rio, TX, William Beckmann was raised on classic country as well as the mariachi and Norteño sounds of northern Mexico. He delivers a fresh blend of vintage country, Americana and Latin music with a timeless baritone and an old soul maturity that belies his youth. His 2022 album Faded Memories, featuring the slow-burn single “Bourbon Whiskey” as well as a mesmerizing cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire” and the haunting “In The Dark.”
Garrett Bradford
Winner of the 2023 Texas Songwriter U Competition
Songwriter of "The Way of Life Ain't Dead"
Featured on Season 3, Episode 9 of Yellowstone
Jamie Lin Wilson
Next Generation Texas Songwriter
Jamie didn’t pick up a guitar until she was 19. Casual remarks she dropped to her mom and cousin led to a gifting of an acoustic that Christmas. She started attending open mics in College Station, and was immediately welcomed into what was primarily a boys’ club of aspiring pickers and writers that included future fellow Gouger Shayne Walker. “By the end of the summer, I was playing gigs in a band, the Gougers,” she says. “I learned how to play guitar on stage.”
Jamie never looked back. She fell in love and married her college sweetheart, Roy. Together, the two raise their children and make their “weird road” work beautifully. “I’ve been taking kids on the road for eight years, touring constantly, just taking breaks to have babies.”
OUR SUPPORT OF THE TEXAS HERITAGE SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION
Along with honoring the past and present songwriters that define Texas' distinct culture, Big Hat Spirits hosts pickin' parties, golf tournaments, tailgates and various activities in the spirit of recognizing and celebrating the next generation of legendary Texas songwriters.
