Preston Benfield

Following in their footsteps...

Roan Mountain’s Preston Benfield works on the melody of one of his songs on the front porch.

Preston Benfield draws inspiration for his music from legends like Haggard, Whitley

* Story by Nic Miller & Photos by Larry N. Souders *

If you were looking to hear a country tune while in Carter County, you probably wouldn’t have to go far as it is one of the most popular genres of music in our area today.

And sure, you may be able to hear a Kenny Chesney song from a speaker or a Luke Bryan hit on the radio, but one Carter County resident may be able to provide a live rendition of these anthems.

Preston Benfield, a graduate of Cloudland High School, is an upand-coming country music artist in the area who has taken his musical talent and turned it from a hobby into something bigger.

“When I was about 12 or 13, I really got into Merle Haggard. I started listening to his music and eventually progressed into singing, which has led me to here and now.”

But he wasn’t always a country music performer. Benfield actually started out singing a different, yet similar, genre of music.

“A friend of mine, Logan, and I actually started a bluegrass band in high school known as ‘Real Steel’ but eventually switched over to country music.

“I made the switch mainly because there is more of an audience for country music. I still enjoy bluegrass but it’s a bit smaller of an audience.”

Having performed for an audience several times, Benfield said that one of the greatest aspects of singing on stage would be the adrenaline rush he gets being in front of a crowd.

“I played sports in high school,

Benfield also enjoys spending time with his dog Clint, a Bloodhound, and Maci, a black Lab.

When Preston Benfield isn’t making music he loves to spend time working on his pool game surrounded by the many portraits of Country Music legends like this photo of Merle Haggard.

On top of playing a mean acoustic guitar, Preston Benfield also plays “passable” drums, electric guitar, bass, and the dobro. He hopes to have ten tracks ready to record sometime in the very near future.

Preston Benfield, a 2017 graduate of Cloudland High School, has pursued a career in music while he was attending East Tennessee State University’s Country Music Studies.

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so it’s almost the same feeling as being in front of a crowd on Friday nights. Looking out into the crowd and seeing that the audience is enjoying themselves is a great feeling and in turn, makes me feel good.”

As mentioned before, Benfield grew up listening to Merle Haggard, and his songs today reflect the impact of a country music legend on his life.

“Merle is one of the best to ever do it, and I guess you could say that he is who I based my style of writing for my original songs off of. Along with him, I also draw some inspirations from older artists such as Keith Whitley and Hank Williams Sr.”

Speaking of his original works, Benfield said that out of his selection of written pieces, a song that has not been released is one of his favorites so far.

“I’ve got one song that a friend helped me write called ‘It Don’t Feel Like Home’ that was written a while back but hasn’t been recorded yet. I’m excited to finish that one up and hear the final product.”

Along with his original works, Benfield also performs covers of various country hits, saying, “Merle is my favorite artist, but when I’m doing covers, my favorite artists to cover would have to be Keith Whitley or Randy Travis.”

Benfield says that he hasn’t been able to do much performing in recent months, but that is set to change in the upcoming weeks.

“I actually just got my band together, and we’re going to be performing pretty soon at The Station at 19E here in Roan Mountain. I’m excited to go back and perform. It’s always a great time.”

So don’t forget to check your calendars for Benfield’s upcoming dates because this is one artist whose performance you do not want to miss.

Preston Benfield has many different guitars in his home, but he finds himself coming back to this Syairi acoustic more times than not. He says he loves the sounds that come from it.