Hayes Carll

Growing up in suburban Houston, Hayes Carll was surrounded by country music, but it was wordsmiths such as Bob Dylan and Jack Kerouac that really ignited the sixth-generation Texan's fire. After college, Carll relentlessly toured the red-dirt scene and did an extended stint in party areas like Galveston's Crystal Beach. Flowers and Liquor was released in 2002, and critics immediately lauded Carll's self-deprecating, observational humor. Little Rock followed in 2005 and reached No. 1 on the Americana music charts -- no mean feat for a self-released album. Carll continued to gain momentum, and in 2006 he signed with Lost Highway. It was 2008's Trouble in Mind that proved to be the singer's breakthrough, thanks, in part, to the acerbic masterpiece "She Left Me for Jesus." The song garnered airplay on a number of stations, and gave conservative talk show hosts plenty to spew fire and brimstone over. In 2011, Carll released the brilliantly caustic KMAG YOYO -- a military acronym for "Kiss My Ass Guys, You're On Your Own."