He did however, note the influence of Western Swing band Asleep at the Wheel and how their all-star tribute albums to Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys acted as "country music in a bottle" for him.

As a young adult, he had a musical revelation when he heard the classic country voices of Emmylou Harris and George Jones.

[1] Sam Outlaw had a successful advertising career in Southern California; however, on his thirtieth birthday he switched gears to pursue his passion for music.

It immediately created a buzz and he secured performance slots at the Stagecoach Festival and AmericanaFest produced by the Americana Music Association.

This is a bit of a ‘concept album’ and I had a lot of fun putting it together.”[10] Later that summer, he released a duet with Sarah Darling called "Forever & Always" across streaming platforms and was also a radio single in the United Kingdom.

[11] Rolling Stone described the album as, "is a shimmering sonic statement of purpose that cements the 33-year-old artist as a nuanced songwriter with a penchant for telling difficult stories.