Who Is Jackson Wendell? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

Full name – Jackson Wendell
Birthdate – 02/04/2005
Hometown – Lufkin, Texas
Current city – Nacogdoches, TX
Musical influences – Tom Petty, Parker McCollum, John Mayer

Current Song – “Devil’s Hardwoods” (as of date of article: 12/8/2025)

We love to introduce country fans to new artists, who might become a favorite! Today our spotlight shines on an artist named Jackson Wendell. Fans of artists like Parker McCollum and John Mayer are sure to fall in love with his charming sound. We chatted with the singer all about his journey to country music and everything in between.

“I’m from East, Texas. I was homeschooled kid growing up, got bored a lot, so I started writing. Dad was a musician and wanted to start the touring life but didn’t really know how to get into that, so he bought my grandfather’s business, and he completely supports everything I do,” shared Wendell, when asked about his upbringing.

“I played on the worship team, wrote songs, and played covers for a long time. I didn’t think it was going to go anywhere until I released a song just for fun, and people honestly liked it, so I kept on doing it.” For Wendell, singing and writing music was a way to pass time, but also something that was a constant joy throughout his life “Once you have had enough boredom, you start doing your own thing, and creating your own habits, and mine was definitely writing. We went on a bunch of elk hunts, and there’s no service in the mountains, so the only thing to do was hunt and play guitar, sit around the fire, and do your own thing.”

From an early age, Wendell fell in with artists who showcased their unique artistry through singing and songwriting. “A lot of my heroes are Tom Petty, John Mayer, Ray Charles, that kind of side of it. Jack Johnson also.” Those artists would eventually influence his music as he got deeper and deeper into his craft.

The Turning Point:

For Wendell, his journey so far is what he would call a series of ‘God moments.’ “My senior year of high-school, I was going to go to Ole Miss, and I got asked to open for Scotty McCreery in my hometown, and it was in front of 7000 people, and I was like this is easy, I’m going to keep doing this. Turns out it wasn’t easy,” he shared.

This incredible opportunity led the singer to attend a cheaper college in favor of spending money on making his dream a reality. “I’ve always loved being on stage. But I really didn’t expect it to go anywhere. I just really did it for fun because I had nothing else better to do. We travel a lot, and I noticed just traveling wise, the only thing to do growing up was write, write, write. I guess a creative mind helped me out a little bit,” he shared, adding, “It’s been crazy. I honestly think I’m just so blessed. It’s crazy how everything just lined up with each other, I really don’t know how to explain that without saying that God has played a huge role in my life and with the direction everything has gone. I’ve had some crappy things happen, that needed to happen or I would not have gotten anyway in this direction.”

Armed with incredible songwriting prowess and a dream, Wendell continued to chip away at the Texas country music scene, while simultaneously beginning to post on social media.

Today:

Flash forward to today, Wendell is officially releasing music and growing his fanbase with the help of social media and his team. Most recently the singer released an incredible song called, “Devil’s Hardwoods.”

“I wrote that song two years ago, and teased it on TikTok, just a demo, a piece of a demo. That fifteen seconds really took off on TikTok, a lot of influencers using the sound and whatnot. Then I wasn’t able to get it recorded until a year later when I found someone who wanted to do it. His name is Lukas Scott. He produced it, and I think he absolutely killed it.”

“Devil’s Hardwoods” was inspired by a personal relationship in the singer’s life. “I was in a relationship for a couple of years and honestly she was just too good for me, and that’s kinda where it comes from. There’s a line in there that says “you’re too innocent to be swept off your feet,” and it was honestly one of my favorite lines because it’s so true. It’s basically saying that someone is a little too innocent for me in an I’m not good enough style.”

The song marks just the beginning for the talented newcomer, who shares that there are big things coming in 2026. “We have some really cool shows, and we’re working towards a record. Still learning the ropes. I have a ton to learn, I’m still young in this game, but we have a bunch of things coming.” Make sure you jump on the Wendell bandwagon, so you can say you “remember when.” Stay tuned!

Connect:

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Jackson Wendell’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.