Ellis Bullard with special guest Alex Williams

For a decade, Ellis Bullard has been turning heads across Texas. His authentic songwriting and
mix of cutting-edge rock with old-fashioned, swinging country music has caught on — in a big
way. In the midst of a breakout stretch, he’s inviting fans old and new to join in his journey.
“I’m just a person, just a guy out there having a good time and trying to make sure other people
are too,” Bullard says. “I give my time to people, and I think that means a lot to them. I’m
genuinely trying to forge relationships and have meaningful interactions with all the fans I meet
on the road.”
In the wake of 2024’s Honky Tonk Ain’t Noise Pollution, his second LP, Bullard has left no doubt
that country music is still yearning for the true-blue honky-tonk experience he brings to the stage
and studio. Listen to Bullard, and you’re listening to a life of barnstorming, hard living, and layers
of musical influences.
“I just grew up in a musical household. It was always there,” Bullard says of roots that were in
place before he was born. His mother was a studio artist in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, often
recording at the iconic FAME Studios throughout the 1970s. His father played in a handful of
dance hall bands during Bullard’s youth. For most of his life, the stage called out to him. “I
wasn’t good at anything else,” he says. “I was an OK student, and I wasn’t the best athlete, but I
always knew my way around a song.”
While attending college at Texas State in San Marcos, Bullard strolled into a local bar to watch a
friend perform, when he got called on stage during a set break. He played a few originals, and a
fan tipped him $100 and asked when he would be playing more shows. Bullard never looked
back. He put a band together and hit the Austin scene hard, landing an opening spot for
Whiskey Myers for one of their 2017-18 tour dates, and frontman Cody Cannon offered some
early words of support. Bullard’s momentum culminated at Austin’s White Horse honky tonk in
early 2022 when Joe Rogan strolled in and was blown away by Bullard’s sound. Rogan shared
a clip of Bullard’s performance that night with his 14 million Instagram followers, and a buzz
ensued that really has not slowed since. His debut album, Piss-Hot Freightlining Country Music,
was released a few months later and cemented Bullard as a rising star at a time when authentic
artists were regaining a foothold in country music.