Who Is Reid Haughton? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

Today’s artist is an incredible singer-songwriter from Alabama. Reid Haughton is the type of artist who is ready to unveil his true artistry as he cultivates more and more fans. His inspiration stems from his supportive childhood.

“I grew up in Northern Alabama in a small town called Haleyville,” he began. “I just started playing guitar and taking lessons at church when I was 8 or so. My neighbor growing up, my best friend, his dad got us interested in playing guitar and kind of planted the seed of music in us.”

Haughton recalls drawing inspiration from the 70s rock music that his father listened to and more contemporary country music that his mom shared with him. “My dad would be playing Lynyrd Skynyrd on the boom box when he was working, so a lot of Southern Rock. […] He was into 70s rock kind of stuff, and my mom, I would ride to school with her every day, and she would listen to whatever was current on The Highway or a Sugarland CD,” shared the singer.

Throughout his childhood and all the way through high school, Haughton quietly cultivated his own sound and played music at church. “When I was probably seven or eight, I knew I wanted to do this. […] I just kind of didn’t say anything about it I guess, until midway through college, but yeah that was my secret plan all along,” he shared. Admitting that this has been the dream all along, he later added, “all I ever used to pray for is to be a professional musician.”

The Turning Point:

After high school, Haughton attended Auburn University. “I went to Auburn for college and that’s where I started playing the bars,” began the singer. “I played a ton of bar shows for years starting with the backhand of my freshman year and ended up meeting the people I work with now at River House by playing a bunch of bar shows.”

During college, the singer connected with people in the industry, including his now team at River House Publishing. “I met my manager at River House at a show I was invited to,” shared Haughton. “I sent him some songs and one thing led to another, and I came out here for a summer during Covid. […] After that summer, I was an intern, but I was really just writing, and they were like if you move back up here, we’ll give you a pub deal.”

Haughton went from solo writing to co-writing in Nashville, which felt like a God moment for the artist. “For me, it was kind of right place, right time,” he declared.

Today:

Currently, Haughton is beginning a new chapter of music. He even referred to it as a “new book.” So far this year, the singer-songwriter released two songs that really speak to his newfound confidence. Both “Day You Don’t and “She Is” showcase his country-rock and soul style.

“These songs are a whole new thing for me. It’s going to be the start of a whole new sound, I guess you can say. It was a pretty clear moment for me […] It kind of opened up my mind about this world and where I want to go as an artist.” When asked about “Day You Don’t,” Haughton shared, “It’s one of the coolest songs I’ve been a part of, personally. It doesn’t sound like anything I’ve ever heard. It’s just going to change the game for me.”

Both of these releases mark his first singles as a River House artist and with a team supporting him. They showcase his growth and his trajectory as a new artist in country music. It is only just the beginning for the singer, who has a lot of my new music coming down the pipeline. “We have a lot of stuff coming out. We have seven songs that are finished that are for sure coming, and by December there should be a lot of music to listen to.”

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