Skip Ewing, a renowned singer-songwriter and Wyoming resident with a celebrated Nashville career, has dedicated himself to the country music industry for nearly three decades. armed with a guitar and an arsenal of words and emotions, he’s channeled that dedication into some of country music’s most memorable songs.
His unwavering commitment to his craft, equally as a singer, musician and songwriter, has set a peerless standard, consistently creating chart-topping and critically acclaimed hits. His efforts have earned him and his compositions CMA, ACM, BMI, NSAI awards, Grammy and Songwriter Hall of Fame nominations.
“My guitar, my voice, my compositions, and lyrics all stem from a singular artistic voice — and that voice always has something to say.” - Skip Ewing
At the turn of the 1990s, Ewing’s solo artistic success yielded six top-20 hits in 18 months, including 1988’s “Burnin' a Hole in My Heart," “The Gospel According To Luke,” “I Don’t Have Far To Fall,” and the perennial Christmas favorites “It Wasn’t His Child,” and “Christmas Carol.” Three decades later, a trio of albums released in the past five years — 2020’s “Wyoming,” 2021’s “Christmas,” and 2024’s “Road to California” — continue to garner critical and popular acclaim.
“Would If I Could,” a song he co-penned with Dean Dillion amid 90s era country fervor, has been revived as a currently Top 40 (and rising) duet by country music’s 2024 Female Vocalist of the Year, Lainey Wilson, and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter ERNEST.
Ewing is a “caring, compassionate, and skillful” craftsman who is humbled with gratitude and perpetually inspired to create authentic connections between his life and music fans worldwide. His career resurgence now occurs as he doubles down on an adventurous, northwestern Wyoming-based existence. Observations earned from his lifestyle switch from Music Row to the open range, and an almost spiritual dedication to horsemanship have given him unparalleled insight into, among many things, relating the nature of horses to how humans can create stronger interpersonal ties.
Recharging his career, Skip Ewing delves into the nuances of how time shapes a lyric’s meaning. Now happily married and over 50, his expanded understanding of life’s emotional depths fuels his songwriting. His songs are a reflection of his ongoing journey to be his best self. Life, like love, is a spiritual journey, ebbing and flowing like an ocean. It’s crucial to stay calm, present, and fulfilled. This personal growth and introspection resonates in his music, creating a deeper connection with his audience and inviting them to share in his journey.
Ewing's success as a songwriter with multiple award-nominated and award-winning credits is vital to consider alongside his solo success.
Ewing is the writer & co-writer of a long list of radio smashes including — Bryan White’s hits “Not Supposed To Love You,” “Someone Else's Star” and “Rebecca Lynn,” Colin Raye’s 1991 hit “Love, Me,” Clint Black’s “Something That We Do” in 1997, Kenny Chesney’s “Me & You,” “You Had Me From Hello” and Mark Wills’ “Wish You Were Here” in 1999 and Diamond Rio’s “I Believe” in 2002.
“I started writing the Wyoming album in 2018 and at that time I didn’t know if I’d ever do another music project,” Ewing admits. “I had sold everything in Nashville. I sold my house. I sold everything except my instruments and some art. Trying to write for what radio had become just didn’t resonate with me. I couldn’t write the songs I really wanted to write and be successful as a writer. In the meantime, I had been coming to Wyoming every year since the early 2000’s and loved Wyoming. I knew I wanted to live here.”
After leaving Nashville in 2014 and dedicating himself to the study of horses and horsemanship, the renowned singer-songwriter is reopening himself to the honesty he’s always revealed in his inner dialogue. The songs he’s writing and releasing now aren’t retreads from his time in Nashville. Instead, they reflect how life and love have transformed him and his creative process. “Like my wife has said, [my] journeys are coming together. It is by her grace and encouragement that I’m rededicating myself to my deepest artistic pursuit.”
Songs from Ewing’s current catalog highlighting his process include 2024’s album “Road to California.” That recording features tracks like “Road Dog,” “Windmill,” and “Wreck of My Heart."
The bluegrass-styled “Road Dog” is an anthemic favorite of music critics. It was inspired as much by the actual dog hair and smudges on his truck windows as by how much dogs, like horses, have become a beloved influence in his life.
“For most of the folks (my wife and I) know out here in Wyoming, and many of our friends all over the U.S. and all over the world, our four-leggers are all part of the family and are so much a part of our lives that dog hair ends up being both a condiment and a fashion statement,” he jokes.
“Windmill” invites the listener to a spot between two towns a mile above sea level in western Wyoming where a windmill stands, as Ewing notes, “like a silent sentinel in the sagebrush.”
“All of the elements that may have led to its presence there inspired a powerful metaphor for the journey of the heart. The more I explored the idea, the more I realized I had been that windmill. Along my own somewhat turbulent journey, I had also been the wind — I have compassion for them both.”
In addition, “Wreck of My Heart” creates a strong metaphorical link between the life-changing automobile accident he endured and navigating the space between love and heartbreak.
“The driver fell asleep and crossed the line with no warning. For months after, I couldn’t drive without fearing someone would cross the line and hit us again. I became hyper-aware that the painted lines we saw were only illusions of separation. If someone disregarded or disrespected those lines, it could again be devastating. Years later, as I reflected on this, I realized how metaphoric this was for love and heartbreak. If you’ve loved and wrecked, you’ll understand,” he adds.
Ask him to summarize more succinctly what drives him of late, and what falls from his lips arrives like yet another chart-topping song lyric:
“I resonate with country, not concrete.”
“I resonate with country, not concrete.
— Skip Ewing