“I was tired of not being able to hear my guitar when I played. I got a Gretsch Country Gentleman, and that changed the game for me”: Vincent Neil Emerson’s star is rising fast – whether he’s playing a Chet Atkins electric or rare George Harrison acoustic

Vincent Neil Emerson and a Martin acoustic guitar.

In the pantheon of Texas music storytellers – Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings among many – Vincent Neil Emerson is on his way to prominence.

He’s fearless in the subjects he tackles and the experiences he shares, from mental health (Time of the Rambler) to personal loss, suicide (Learnin’ to Drown) and the painful history of his Native American roots (Ballad of the Choctaw Apache).