Country singer Lane Smith is no stranger to hard living and hard work—raised just north of San Antonio in Spring Branch, Texas, he grew up rodeoing, specifically as a bullfighter. He chose that piece of the equation because it was the part he could control, and it was a bit less scary than riding bulls. As an outsider, admittedly, it’s a little hard to grasp the nuance.?

The overlap between country music and rodeo culture is strong, and well -documented. Chris LeDoux and Garth Brooks told us all about it—the sport isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s stretches away from home, from loved ones, with long, dirty hours and no guarantee of a payoff.?

In fact, it’s more likely to imagine a scenario of walking away beat up, busted, and possibly even further away from a goal than where you might’ve started. It’s not that different than playing shows on the road or that far removed from the idea of embarking on an independent career in country music that you plan to build from the ground up. 

But that’s exactly what Smith has done. He released his first EP in 2018 and another in 2021, with singles earning more than a million plays on all platforms. His catchy blend of country music “will chill you to the bones while you’re tappin' your feet,” as his song “Big Show” exclaims. 

And it seems to be catching on. He’s already crossed off a few of his bucket-list venues, including the legendary Gruene Hall, along with supporting slots with artists like Kyle Park, Matt Stell, Colt Ford and Chase Matthews, to name just a few.