Jackson Dean On His Journey From Open Mics to the Yellowstone Soundtrack

Yellowstone is set to premiere the second half of its final season and one of the men responsible for some of the music you've heard on that show is Jackson Dean.

Dean is in Tulsa and has a special event planned for his fans. He joined News On 6 to talk about the event and his journey.

Jackson Dean's Journey to Stardom

"I picked up the guitar when I was about 14," Dean said. "I have three older siblings, and they all had flown the nest, so I had a lot of downtime to myself. I got to find something to do."

Dean began playing open mics, honing his craft and writing "some pretty bad songs." As he put it, "you have to do [that] to get to the good ones."

His perseverance paid off, as he soon made a name for himself on the East Coast.

"Nashville came knocking, got a publishing deal, and not long after that, a record deal," Dean said.

A Unique Musical Style

When asked about his musical style, Dean described it as a blend of country and rock.

"I like the power vocals, and I also like doing a lot of falsetto work, which is really hard for males to do," he shared. "But yeah, it's a little bit heavier. It's heavy."

Dean emphasized his desire to push the boundaries of his vocal abilities. "I'm up there rocking acoustic guitar the whole time, and it's a five-piece band and rocking and rolling."

Inclusion in the Yellowstone Soundtrack

One of Dean's biggest achievements to date is having his music featured in the hit TV series Yellowstone.

"They were about to drive a bunch of cattle up a mountain," he recalled. "They were like, 'Blank it,' right?"

The experience of seeing his music used in the show was surreal for Dean, who has been a lifelong fan of Yellowstone star Kevin Costner.

"Being such a fan, it was really awesome. Just, 'Oh my god, there's Kevin Costner,'" Dean said. "To have that one be the first one though, is wild."

Looking Ahead

As Dean continues his rise to stardom, he remains excited about his upcoming plans. He is currently on the last week of a tour with fellow country artist Lainey Wilson, a partnership he has enjoyed for over a year. "It's going good," Dean said.

With his unique sound and impressive career trajectory, Jackson Dean is poised to make an even bigger impact on the country music scene in the years to come.