Dillon Carmichael. Music, Paychecks, And Longnecks.
by Tom Bomb for Country Music News International
Dillon Carmichael has it in his blood. He is the nephew of John Michael Montgomery and Eddie Montgomery. He definitely has the talent judging from
his debut at the Grand Ole Opry. And his debut album in 2012 titled Hell Of An Angel was a spectacular effort that was produced by none other than Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson). Carmichael’s sound can be defined as the Bakersfield sound meets the Outlaw Country sound lightly seasoned with a little Southern rock.
Dillon Carmichael was born in Burgin, Kentucky. He was surrounded by a very musical family. Both of his grandfathers were professional musicians. His parents were singers who performed in public. Not to mention the very important detail regarding the success of his two uncles, John Michael Montgomery (who enjoyed a handful of hits in the ’90s), and Eddie Montgomery (co-founder of Montgomery Gentry). Dillon received his first guitar from his dad at age 11. When Dillon became a teenager he put together his first band with a few friends. The band would play talent shows and informal gigs around the area. The band broke up and as a result Carmichael went solo. He started writing his own songs as well as playing gigs around bars throughout Kentucky.
When Carmichael turned 18, his songwriting work caught the eye of a representative from a Nashville publishing house, who offered a deal with Dillon after his high school graduation. Four days after his graduation, Carmichael moved to Nashville. He signed a publishing contract and made his way into the Nashville music scene. As Carmichael progressed, his sound began to reflect his early influences, from Merle Haggard to Waylon Jennings to Lynyrd Skynyrd. Eventually, Carmichael found his match. And that match would be none other than Dave Cobb. The same Dave Cobb who helped define the sounds that Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, and Chris Stapleton were striving to perfect.
While inside the historic RCA Studio A, Cobb helped Carmichael record his debut single, “Old Songs Like That”, which was released in October 2017. A second single titled, “Made to Be a Country Boy,” followed in February 2018. Both songs received praise in the country music press along with his debut album, Hell on an Angel, released by Riser House Records in October 2018. The album would hit number 12 on the Billboard Heat-seekers chart, and peak at 37 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart. “Dancing Away with My Heart” and “It’s Simple” grabbed a hold of quite a few eyeballs on both radio, and editorial streaming playlists. A non-LP single, I Do for You,” was released in 2020 and hit the Billboard Country Airplay charts at number 40. Dillon Carmichael’s brand new album “Son Of A” has just been released and it once again proves that Carmichael is indeed going to be around for a long time.