You guys remember that one song from Yellowstone, in Season 3 Episode 9? "This Way Of Life," by Garrett Bradford? Well, it turns out he wasn't just picked for the show, but had been working with Taylor Sheridan on his ranch and performing for him for years.
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Garrett Bradford's second album, The Honkiest Of Tonkers (Act 2), released yesterday, and it includes "This Way Of Life," the song Taylor Sheridan himself requested from the singer personally. When I asked Garrett Bradford how he got involved with Yellowstone and working with Taylor Sheridan, he shared an interesting story.
"A few years ago, Taylor Sheridan moved to my hometown, Weatherford, Texas," he said. "He bought a ranch about 5 miles from my family's ranch where I grew up. Taylor hired me to do some work on his ranch, which involved clearing land and cutting down some trees on his property."
Bradford "started doing tree work and land clearing" after he got out of high school. "I'm not sure who gave Taylor my number, but I did a lot of jobs for a lot of people, and I'm glad they did."
"Taylor is a great guy to work for. He's very reasonable and allows you to do your job without breathing down your neck. This is true for songwriting as well as tree cutting," Bradford wrote.
After doing work for Sheridan, they "became friends," and the writer and producer "started inviting [him] over for dinner more often."
"I got to know his family, and eventually he figured out that I played music, so he'd have me bring my guitar over and play my songs for him and his dinner guests sometimes," he continued.
Taylor Sheridan Requested "This Way Of Life" From Garrett Bradford
Before long, Sheridan would ask Bradford to provide a song for Yellowstone, and he was very happy to take him up on the offer.
"After I'd known him about two years, he asked me to write a song about the western way of life; how it appears to be dying but in reality, it's still alive and well, just changing," he explained.
"A few weeks later, I wrote my song 'This Way of Life' and sent him an acoustic 'demo' recording to see if he liked it. He really loved the song and wanted to use the acoustic recording (which I recorded in my barn the day that I wrote it) on Yellowstone that week."
"Less than a week after I wrote the song, it was on the biggest show on TV. It was a very surreal experience, and I thank Taylor for believing in me as an artist and a songwriter," he concluded. What a story.
The success of having a song on Yellowstone was unprecedented for Bradford. "I was very surprised just how many doors it opened. I knew the show was popular, but I truly had no idea just HOW popular. It's an amazing thing to have on my resume, and it has allowed me to become a full-time singer/songwriter."
So it turns out that Taylor Sheridan giving Garrett Bradford a chance has allowed him to pursue his dreams. And it's a good thing too; his music is great. Make sure to check out the new album now!
