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Evan Felker
Birth nameEvan Duane Felker
Born (1984-03-24) March 24, 1984 (age 40)
Okemah, Oklahoma, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica
Years active2007–present
LabelsBossier City Records, Thirty Tigers
Websitewww.turnpiketroubadours.com

Evan Duane Felker (born March 24, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist from Okemah, Oklahoma. He is best known as the lead singer of the band Turnpike Troubadours.

Early life

Felker was born in Okemah and raised in Wright City, a small town in rural southeast Oklahoma.[1] His mother, Tane, worked in the healthcare industry and his father, Van, was a cowboy.[2][3] He has one younger sister, Cheyenne.[4] He was part of "an outdoorsy family that did a lot of hunting and fishing".[5] Growing up, Felker enjoyed short stories and wrote poems and creative prose.[5][6] He started playing guitar at the age of fifteen, learning from books and from high school friends.[7] He initially began writing rock songs since he considered country music to be uncool.[8] Felker's uncle was a songwriter and rock musician, and Felker travelled to Tulsa, Oklahoma as a teenager to watch him perform.[6] Felker attended tech school to train as an electrician and later worked in paper mills, food plants, and Mercury Marine in Stillwater, Oklahoma.[5]

Career

When Felker moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma in his twenties, he became interested in country music; his "heroes" were Cross Canadian Ragweed and Jason Boland.[9] He and guitarist Ryan Engleman began playing as a two-man acoustic act and were joined by bass player R.C. Edwards two months later. Eventually, drummer Giovanni “Nooch” Carnuccio III and fiddler Kyle Nix joined, and formed the Turnpike Troubadours. The band later relocated to Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

The Turnpike Troubadours announced they were taking a hiatus in May 2019, saying they would not perform "until a time we feel that everyone is of strong mind, body and spirit".[10] In November 2021, the band announced its reunion.[11] The band opened their return at Cains Ballroom in Oklahoma, the start of a series of sold out shows throughout 2022.

Personal life

Felker is a keen hunter, crediting his Oklahoma upbringing to bringing him into the culture.[2][4] He is friends with country singer-songwriter Corb Lund, and the two have hunted together.[12] Felker married accountant Staci Nelson in November 2016, in Barcelona, Spain.[13] They split in February 2018 and were divorced that August.[14]

Before the Turnpike Troubadours went on hiatus, there were multiple reports of Felker appearing intoxicated during his performances, along with the band cancelling over a dozen shows.[15][16] In an August 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, Felker said he had found sobriety and was working on a ranch in Texas.[17] He reconciled with Nelson, who revealed on her Instagram page that they had remarried in June 2020.[18] They welcomed their first child, Evangelina Hartford Felker, in January 2021 and their second child, Everett Augustus Felker, in September 2022.[19][20][21]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Turnpike coming to the Basin". Odessa American. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Podcast: Reid talks Guns, Dogs, and Quail with Evan Felker of the Turnpike Troubadours - Orvis News". Orvis News. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Turnpike Troubadours Ready New Album 'A Long Way From Your Heart'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Turnpike Troubadours' Evan Felker on Old Shotguns, Bird Dogs and the New Record/ Small Farms, Big Bucks With Southpond Outdoors/& Moose Hunting and the New Mossberg Shockwave With Linda Powell". Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Evan Felker, Turnpike Troubadours". Songwriters on Process. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  6. ^ a b Rodman, Sarah. "Troubadours head up Turnpike to Boston - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Evan Felker". 10 August 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  8. ^ "Turnpike Troubadours « American Songwriter". American Songwriter. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  9. ^ Wofford, Jerry. "Evan Felker of Turnpike Troubadours talks on the band's success ahead of its Cain's show". Tulsa World. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  10. ^ Freeman, Jon (May 31, 2019). "Turnpike Troubadours Cancel Tour Dates, Announce Hiatus". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  11. ^ Crutchmer, Josh (2021-11-30). "Exclusive: Turnpike Troubadours Talk Unexpected Hiatus, Newfound Sobriety, and Surprise Reunion". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  12. ^ "Shredding time zones and comfort zones: Corb Lund travels from bows and arrows to bows and cellos with the CPO". 2 November 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Staci & Evan - Rares Pulbere Photography". Rares Pulbere Photography. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Evan Felker Is Not Reconciling with Ex-Wife Staci After Miranda Lambert Split, Says Source". PEOPLE.com. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  15. ^ Gazibara, Steve (13 May 2019). "Fans Plead With Evan Felker of the Turnpike Troubadours To Get Help After Very Hard To Watch Performance". Whiskey Riff. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  16. ^ Dukes, Billy (30 October 2018). "Turnpike Troubadours Scrap Shows To Address Personal, Private Struggle". Taste of Country. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  17. ^ Crutchmer, Josh (13 August 2020). "Turnpike Troubadours' Evan Felker Says He's Sober, Focused on Music in New Interview". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Evan Felker and Stacie Felker have been remarried since June 2020!". reddit.com. 21 March 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  19. ^ @stacifelker (9 March 2021). "Evangelina Hartford Felker" – via Instagram.
  20. ^ "Surprise! Evan Felker, Wife Staci Reveal They've Welcomed Daughter Evangelina Hartford". March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  21. ^ @stacifelker (2 December 2022). "Everett Augustus Felker" – via Instagram.
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