Independent country artist Blane Howard is putting his own personal stamp on the Nashville music industry, and though based in Nashville, his musical journey has taken him all over the country. Raised on iconic artists Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Brooks and Dunn, and Johnny Cash, his sound is a reflection of one of the best eras of country music.  The 2025 winner of the Arkansas CMA Country Artist of the Year award, and a 3-time Arkansas CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, Howard embraces his unique style of country, modern traditional, mixing the authenticity of the 90s with the contemporary edge of today!  His relatable lyrics, powerful vocals, and entertaining shows are winning him fans around the world.

“Waiting On You” is one of the hit tracks on Howard’s newest music endeavor. The single, written by Howard and Zarni deVette, was the 4th single released in the same number of months, staying on track for the full album, Now I Know, that released on October 25, 2024.  The song is a justification for all of those people who’ve had relationship fails to not give up hope, that all of those broken and bruised hearts, mistakes, and bad choices will eventually lead you to the right person.  Said Howard, “We’ve all been through the ups and downs of relationships that didn’t work out the way we planned, but this song is about what’s on the other side of all of that. The joy and happiness of finding that special person that makes you happier than you ever thought you could be.” JJ Hayes of KFDI/New country101.3 in Wichita, KS loved the song saying, “My dude, I’m blown away! I’ve been following you for a couple of years now since we last talked, and know this… this song is fantastic, from the music, to the writing, to the production. Let’s get you on the air to talk about this record.”

Howard has released quite a bit of music as an independent artist. Prior to the new album, Howard released his very first Christmas album, Christmas In The Car, which came out in November of 2022. The title track was written with well-known Nashville writer Bobby Tomberlin (One More Day – Diamond Rio). It’s not a hard luck story, but rather his fond memories and family traditions of having to travel on Christmas Day to visit family. Every year he and his family would wake up early to open presents, and shortly after they’d hit the road and make a 7-hour drive to his grandma’s house in Kansas… all while listening to his mother play albums like The Carpenters’ Christmas Portrait and Perry Como. While it didn’t always seem so thrilling in the moment, Howard looks back fondly on the memories he made on those Christmas mornings during his childhood. Today, he still recalls every word to “Merry Christmas Darling” as he sets his own family traditions with his wife and daughter. 

In February of 2022, the singer-songwriter released the album, Looking For Nothing To Do, debuting at #27 on iTunes.  The album included several singles co-written with top charting song writers including the single, “Boot ‘N’ Rally,” written with Keesy Timmer (“Yeah, Boy”- Kelsea Ballerini), which was an anthem for those who’ve been knocked down but keep getting back up.  In May, the music video for “Boot ‘N’ Rally” premiered on CMT Music, and at the end of July it hit #1 on CMT Music’s 12 Pack Countdown show. The album suffered delays due to the pandemic, but followed on the heels of the releases for “All Those Empties,” written with Rick Huckaby (“Beer With Jesus,” “Muddy Water”),  and “Rock On Her Window,” co-written with Huckaby and Doug Johnson (“Three Wooden Crosses,” “Love Like Crazy”), which made a splash debuting at #5 on the CMT 12 Pack Countdown show.  The music video, directed and produced by Jenny Gill, once again made an impression on CMT with Howard being selected as their Next Up Now artist for May 2021.  The video also hit #1 on The Country Network in October.

Howard’s biggest success to date comes from a song he wrote as a wedding gift for his wife, Megan. Co-written with ACM Award winner Jordan Reynolds (“Tequila,” “10,000 Hours”) and produced by Grammy, ACM, and CMA nominated producer Brad Hill (Maren Morris’ Hero, Brothers Osborne), “Promise To Love Her” has grown into a massive success, garnering more that 160 million streams across all digital platforms, with the music video spending 17 consecutive weeks on CMT Music’s 12-Pack Countdown, including a week at Number 1. Quite impressive for an independent artist! He has traveled from California to New York, everywhere in between, and even Mexico to perform the song at wedding events.

Howard has also released a full album, Away We Go, in 2015, a seven track EP titled ‘Bout Time which released in 2013, a three track Chiefs cd, and a two track Arkansas cd. Additionally, Howard was featured on the single “Ain’t Gon Be Another,” a track on Hip/Hop/Rapper Tech N9ne’s Collab album that came out in 2024.

Recognized for his resonating baritone vocals and his presence behind a microphone, Howard also continues to hone his songwriting skills. He has collaborated with some exceptional writers; in addition to Timmer, Huckaby, Johnson, and Reynolds, he also has written with hit songwriters Steve Dean (“Watching You”), Jim Collins (“Big Green Tractor,” “The Good Stuff”), Graham Edwards (Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated”) and others.

Born in Kansas, but raised in Arkansas, Howard has lived in Nashville since college. However, his connection with the Midwest and his love for sports is another facet of his ever growing fan base. In late 2020 with the NFL playoffs approaching, Howard received a boost of recognition.  While his touring was halted during the pandemic, Howard, a life-long die-hard Kansas City Chiefs fan, wrote a new song, “Run It Back,” which became Chiefs Kingdom’s new anthem during their playoff run. The song was played by radio stations all over the Kansas City Metro area and on surrounding mid-west stations.  With another successful season expected for the Chiefs in 2021, Howard created a REMIX, “Take It Back” which was just as successful as the original.  “As the guy whose job it is to fire up the Chiefs crowd at Arrowhead Stadium, ‘Run It Back’ from Blane Howard fires ME up!!  Fun song to celebrate the defending Super Bowl Champs (and favorite to win it AGAIN!!!),” – Dale Carter, KFKF-FM PD/Morning Guy and Stadium Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs.  Blane followed those up in 2023 with “How ‘Bout Those Chiefs” as his third song in the trilogy of Chiefs anthems. In addition to the original songs, he started creating playoff parodies for some fun social media content, and the fans went all in on the fun. Howard also has a love for the Arkansas Razorbacks and has a Razorback version of his genuine song “Arkansas, Y’all” that we wrote for an Arkansas Tourism contest.

Since graduating from Belmont University, Howard has opened for numerous country icons including Justin Moore, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Joe Nichols, Charlie Daniels, Lauren Alaina, Granger Smith, Cody Johnson, and Trace Atkins. With heart-felt ballads, high tempo anthems, and lots of songs in between, fans find Howard’s songs relatable on many levels. Growing up with a love of multiple genres of music, at shows he often surprises his fans by covering masterworks from greats including Johnny Cash, Steve Miller Band, The Eagles, and Van Morrison. Howard looks forward to releasing new music and growing a bigger fan base across the fair and festival circuit.