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After a Life-Changing Year, Colt Ford Returns to the Stage
34 minutes ago
3 min read
After facing a near-fatal health crisis in 2024, Colt Ford is back with a new album and a renewed perspective on life and music. The project, out today, marks his first major release in years, following both the pandemic and a long recovery that forced him to slow down for the first time since his music career started in 2008.
“I’ve just been out of the loop for a while,” Ford said. “It’s been a long time since my last album cycle. You throw in the pandemic, then the accident, it’s like, oh, I haven’t done this in three years. So yeah, it’s exciting to have new music again.”
Colt Ford's Career is Built Outside the System
Long before today’s wave of genre-blending country artists, Colt Ford was forging his own path. In the late 2000s, Nashville didn’t quite know what to make of him, a Georgia-born artist mixing storytelling, rhythm, and southern grit. “They didn’t know what to do with me,” he recalled. “So it was a lot more difficult for me. I just had to fight through it with shows and work every chance I could.”
That independence became the foundation of Ford’s career. After early struggles finding label support, he co-founded Average Joe’s Entertainment, building a home for artists who didn’t fit Nashville’s mold.
“We didn’t know anybody in Nashville,” he said. “We couldn’t put the record out any other way.”
The turning point came in 2008, when Ford played a Fourth of July show in Valdosta, Georgia. “I got down there to play, and 5,000 people showed up,” he said. “I finished at nine o’clock and was still signing autographs at one in the morning. That’s when I knew something was happening.”
Redefining “Country Rap”
While he’s often credited as a pioneer of country rap, Ford never set out to create a subgenre.
“I was always so anti-‘country rap’ because it made people feel a certain way,” he said. “It’s country music. There’s fiddle and steel in every song. I wasn’t trying to be an outlaw, that’s just who I am.”
Instead, Ford’s focus has always been on connecting with fans. He believes if you can write something that makes a difference in somebody’s life, then you’re winning.
Surviving the Unthinkable
That connection deepened after April 4, 2024, when Ford suffered two heart attacks shortly after a show in Phoenix. The doctors brought him back to life twice. He was in about 20 hours of surgery, in a coma for eight days on ECMO, and in the hospital for two months. He says everything that happened that night was an act of God. Out of the norm he hung out with his band after his show instead of going to his room to call his wife which allowed his band to be there to act fast when the attack hit.
"If one thing had been different I wouldn't have survived."
The experience forced him to slow down and reassess. He realized that a lot of the stuff he’d been chasing, if he could catch it now, he wouldn't even want it. He says he's learning to be still and be present.
Inside the Album
That shift in mindset is woven throughout his new album, a blend of hip-hop, southern rock, and country influences that showcase both grit and gratitude. The record features collaborations with longtime friends and rising artists, including Yelawolf, Michael Ray, Craig Campbell, Josh Kelley, Don Lewis, Jay Webb, and Tyler Booth.
“I just want people to look at it and go, ‘Dang, Colt surprised us again,’” he said. “The song with Yelawolf is an absolute hip-hop banger. I wanted to make songs that hit hard, songs people can roll the windows down to and turn up loud.”
For Ford, this release isn’t about proving anything; it’s about giving back to his fans who have stuck around through it all. “I’m lucky to still be here,” he said. “I just want to play music, tell stories, and say thank you every chance I get.”
With his health back, a new record out, and fans rallying stronger than ever, Colt Ford stands as proof that resilience and real connection never go out of style.
