It’s no secret Nashville, Tennessee, is the capital of country music — with good reason. But if there’s a poster boy for the way the city’s music scene has diversified in recent times, it might be Russell Dickerson.

A Tennessee guy through and through, Dickerson is making his mark with a sound that filters in healthy bits of modern soul, R&B, rock, and pop. His music seems like a good reflection of the scene in today’s Nashville. It’s all a function of the music he heard with friends.

“We moved from a little small town in West Tennessee (Union City), and all I pretty much knew was country,” Dickerson said in a phone interview. “Once I got to Nashville, you’d think it would be all country, but I mean, in the public school system of a major city, you know, it was Usher, it was Ludacris, it was Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink-182, Shania Twain, Mariah Carey, whatever. It was just so much of everything and that’s just, I’m proud of the music. Yeah, there was also Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, and all of that stuff, too. But it’s just like all of that mixed together was my influence, was my sound.”

You’ll get a taste of his music when he brings his Big Wheels & Back Roads tour to The Clyde Theatre on Friday, March 1, with hip-hop opener Shaboozey.

Success comes quickly

Dickerson’s multigenre signature is present more clearly than ever on his 2022 self-titled third album. 

Prime examples of country-pop offerings include “She’s Why,” a cheery tune that bounces along at an easy-going clip, and “18,” which alternates between percolating verses and a chorus that kicks up the energy with a driving drum track and expansive vocal. 

The R&B/hip-hop influence filters into his music, particularly in the sing-song cadences and grooves of “All the Same Friends,” “Big Wheels,” and “Sorry.” And on the ballads “Just Like Your Mama” and “Blame It on Being Young” and the rambling rocker “I Still Believe,” Dickerson’s country influence shines brightly.

Dickerson must be doing something right because his career continues to gain momentum. 

His first major impact came via the single, “Yours,” which became the title track to his 2017 debut album. The slow-burning song spent nearly 40 weeks on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, reaching No. 1 in January 2018. Two subsequent singles, “Blue Tacoma” and “Every Little Thing,” brought the total of No. 1 singles from the Yours to three.

Dickerson’s second album, 2020’s Southern Symphony, added another No. 1 hit with “Love You Like I Used To.” 

That brings things to the self-titled album (which was repackaged with bonus acoustic and live cuts in 2023 for The Afterparty Deluxe). So far, it has given Dickerson another hit in “God Gave Me a Girl,” which reached No. 2 on the Country Airplay chart.

Having a good time

The self-titled album (or The Afterparty Deluxe) may be the most authentic collection of songs Dickerson has released, considering he stepped up his involvement throughout the album-making process.

He shares writing credits on all 15 songs on the self-titled album and co-produced it.

“I just feel like each album I get more comfortable with getting more deeply involved in the process,” Dickerson said, noting he’s learned to be more assertive with his co-producers, engineers, and musicians and speak up when something needs to be addressed. 

Dickerson’s songwriting input has predominantly resulted in songs with upbeat lyrics. 

The self-titled album continues that trend, although a few songs go a bit deeper emotionally, like “I Wonder,” on which Dickerson remembers the second thoughts he had about a breakup. 

Mostly, Russell Dickerson is populated by happier romantic sentiments like “She Likes It” and “God Gave Me a Girl,” tales of youthful mischief on “Blame It on Being Young,” and good times (“Big Wheels,” “All The Same Friends” and “Beers to the Summer”). 

Again, that’s just Dickerson being authentic.

“If you ask anybody who knows me well, I’m rarely sad. I’m rarely down,” he said. “I don’t know, that’s just my life experience. And those songs are way more fun to play. ‘Big Wheel’ and ‘Float’ and everything, that’s way more fun to play live. I would much rather play those every night than sad songs.”

Playing live

Dickerson and his touring band put considerable effort into the live shows, dialing in their sound and the song selection.

“Me and my band leader, we put in hours and hours working on the setlist and coming up with something fresh, I think, moreso for the songs we’ve been playing for at least five years now, (like) ‘Yours,’ ‘Blue Tacoma,’ and all of that,” Dickerson said. “So (we work on) finding new ways to spice those up and keep those interesting while also introducing new songs from the (self-titled) album, like ‘18’ and ‘She’s Why.’ ”