T H E S TAT E | I N S I D E R
The Curious Case of CJ Garton
Sometimes an independent, homegrown record can surprise you.
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After riding 700 miles on horseback in 30 days, Oklahoma musician CJ Garton was inspired to create his newest record. Photo courtesy CJ Garton
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OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2021
n the last generation or so, the recording part of the country-music business changed dramatically. Back in the ’90s, when Oklahoma stars like Garth Brooks, Vince Gill and Ronnie Dunn were busy taking Nashville and the country listening public with the force of an F5 tornado, the important thing was getting a record deal. Being signed to a major label was a career benchmark, proof that you were on your way – or, at least, that your music had a better shot than ever at getting played on the radio and finding a national audience. Although there are still major labels in Nashville (and elsewhere), they’re now only one option in the recording smorgasbord made possible by the onrush of technology. The good part of this is that anyone with talent can produce his or her own music, release it on vinyl or CD or the internet, and not have
to struggle for years in hopes of signing with a label. The bad part is that because it’s so easy, acts that would’ve been weeded out and passed on by label personnel can get their music out anyway, independently, and there’s so much substandard product available that it threatens to suffocate the legitimately good stuff by sheer force of numbers. Or, to put it another way – these days, anyone can put out a recording, and that isn’t necessarily a good thing. But then, sometimes an independent, homegrown record can surprise you. And that brings us to CJ Garton, a sixth-generation cattle rancher and country singersongwriter who grew up on a ranch outside of Bristow. His new doublealbum set, Tales of the Ole West & Other Libations to Please the Palate, released by his own G-Bar Records, is top-notch all the way, with excellent production values and tough, knowing, often highly personal lyrics, rendered in an authentic honky-tonk baritone that recalls the likes of Dunn and Johnny Paycheck. It’s the work of someone who knew what he was doing during every step of the record-making process, including the design of the vinyl album, which boasts a holographic cover (by Scott Youtsey, a Claremore-
