Charley Crockett Goes Full Gonzo to Get “Clovis” to Fans

The gloves are off, and Charley Crockett is not waiting around for an amicable solution to try and get his new album Clovis to fans.

Crockett surprised dropped the album recorded in Clovis, New Mexico, and co-produced by Shooter Jennings on April 28th. Coming less than a month after he’d released his last album Age of The Ram through Island Records, the album was clearly a shot across the bow at his previous label, if not an outright attempt to undermine the sales of Age of the Ram in spite.

Though Crockett never exactly said what his beef was with the label, he did say, “Every time I find out I signed a deal I don’t like, and I go to these fuckin’ business people, and tell them I don’t like the deal, I don’t think it’s fair, they say ‘Tough luck kid, you shouldn’t of fuckin’ signed it.’ As soon as I hold them to that same standard, I’m the fuckin’ bad guy,” (laughing).

It also happens to be that Clovis was very well-received by fans, and might be one of the best albums of Crockett’s career. Saving Country Music recently named it one of the Best Albums of 2026 So Far.

Ever since the album was pulled on May 6th, there have been murmurs from both producer Shooter Jennings, and Charley Crockett that the album will return “soon.” But in truth, it’s likely not up to them. It’s up to courts, lawyers, and Island Records, who likely has Crockett dead to rights due to contract violations after he released Clovis so close to his last album on the label.

On Thursday (6-4), Charley Crockett took to social media to proclaim, “Free Clovis. I can’t release the album for a minute, but I don’t see why you can’t help me out with that. Looks like some of y’all already have. I got a loyal street team around this week in Nashville. I’d be there but I’m in some legal trouble I won’t bore you with. They’ll be handing out CDs for free. You know, the way I got here.”

Sure enough, someone has loaded up a version of Clovis onto YouTube, and at least at the moment, it hasn’t been yanked. Fans are also passing bootlegs back and forth at shows and on bit torrent sites like it’s 2003.

And yes, there is confirmation that street teams have been handing out Clovis during CMA Fest this week in Nashville, and two Charley Crockett semis are parked just outside of the CMA perimeter, repping the independent country star, captured by Circle of Country.

One big question that remains is what exactly was Charley Crockett’s beef with Island Records that made him feel he needed to undercut his own release? As we speak, Island is still promoting Age of the Ram, with the album currently sitting at #3 on the Americana Radio Albums chart. Did Charley Crockett just feel like he wasn’t receiving enough promotion or attention? Or was it something more sinister than that?

Either way, Crockett going on a full court press to get the record to people is not only undermining his ability to profit from Clovis, but for Island Records to do so as well, and probably for them to profit from Age of the Ram too. And what is the “legal trouble” that is keeping Crockett out of Nashville at the moment? Is he speaking to his ongoing fight with Island, or something else?

Crockett’s currently on a short lull on his tour. But he has been playing Clovis in concert, and has new shows set to start back up on June 17th in the Northeast. And yes, Crockett did start his career out by handing out CDs. That’s how Evan Felker of the Turnpike Troubadours found out about him at a show at Gruene Hall in Texas.

As was said about a month ago when Clovis initially disappeared from streaming, it’s likely the saga with this album is just beginning. It could take months for this to resolve, and Crockett might not be helping his legal prospects by doing what he can to get the album distributed anyway. But it definitely is an Outlaw, gonzo move that might be gaining him more attention than if Island just let Clovis ride.

Stay tuned.

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