Vincent Neil Emerson

Raised in Van Zandt County, Texas, by his mother after his father's suicide, Vincent Neil Emerson writes country songs shaped by family and by the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb, on his mother's side, whose displacement for the Toledo Bend Reservoir he addresses in 'The Ballad of the Choctaw-Apache'. He later moved to Fort Worth, where he busked, sometimes while homeless, and he has spoken openly about depression as a teenager. Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and Guy Clark are the Texas writers he names as major influences, alongside Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

His debut, Fried Chicken and Evil Women, appeared in 2019, followed by a self-titled album in 2021 produced by Rodney Crowell, then The Golden Crystal Kingdom in 2023, produced by Shooter Jennings for La Honda Records and RCA Records. Blue Stars arrived in 2026. Before releasing that debut he opened for Turnpike Troubadours and American Aquarium, and Charley Crockett covered his song '7 come 11'. Songs of his featured on the TV series Reservation Dogs, including '25 and Wastin' Time', and one appeared on the soundtrack of Yellowstone. No Depression gave The Golden Crystal Kingdom a mixed review.