Growing up in small town Texas, 22-year-old Rance Norton has always had a love for traditional country music. “If it doesn’t have fiddle or steel guitar, it isn’t country music.” Norton has always tried to live by this mantra.

At an early age, while his peers were listening to the new fad in popular music, Norton was listening to the likes of Ray Price, Johnny Bush, Faron Young, and Darrell McCall; just to name a few. “I remember hearing a Ray Price Shuffle for the first time, and I was hooked.” At the age of 5, he started singing at local country oprys around the state; something that would last for the next fifteen years. It was at an opry show where he was discovered by Tracy Pitcox, Owner and President of Heart of Texas Records.

At the age of 17, Norton became a recording artist for Heart of Texas Records, joining the likes of Johnny Bush, Darrell McCall, Tony Booth, Curtis Potter, Frankie Miller, and Amber Digby; just to name a few. In the fall of 2008, Norton and Heart of Texas Records released “True Country,” Rance Norton’s debut album. The album contained many of Norton’s favorite songs and included duets with his producer Justin Trevino and one of his idols Johnny Bush. The album was a success, but Norton still knew that he had some maturing to do before his next project.

In 2009, Norton graduated from High School and embarked on the next voyage of his life; college. When Norton started at Baylor University he left his musical career behind him to focus on his studies. “I was driving home after I had taken my last final and a song came on the radio. It was Willie Nelson’s ‘I’d have to be crazy.’ The first part of that song really hit me hard when it got to the part, ‘I’d have to be crazy to stop all my singing, and never play music again.’” At that moment, Norton knew that his life was at another changing point. He was graduating Baylor a year early, so he decided to forgo law school for a year to pursue his music career.

In the fall of 2012, Norton started his own band named after his first CD, “Rance Norton and True Country.” In that same time Norton started work on his sophomore project on Heart of Texas Records. Since hearing the Willie Nelson song that day, Norton has started to cement his career as one of the youngest artist to carry on the traditional honky-tonk country music sound. “Here We Go Again” is Norton’s newest album, which was released January 2013. It contains a lot of obscure traditional country music songs which people probably haven’t heard before, mixed with some favorite Texas Dancehall classics.

Norton has opened for numerous Country Music legends including: Johnny Bush, Darrell and Mona McCall, Gene Watson, Moe Bandy, Johnny Rodriguez, Dottsy, Jim Ed Brown, Little Jimmy Dickens, Junior Brown, Bill Anderson, Connie Smith, Jeannie Sealy, Jean Sheppard, Leona Williams, Jack Greene, Johnny Lee, and many more.

Rance Norton and the Cadillac Cowboys travel each weekend around the great state of Texas performing at various dancehalls and festivals helping to keep the traditional honky-tonk country sound of Texas music alive.

“This music is my life. I’ve always loved it and it is a passion of mine. I feel that me, as a young artist, to preserve this music. When you think about it, I’m one of the few (young guys) left that really listens and has a true affection for it. I will always play traditional honky-tonk music with fiddles and steel guitars.” -Rance Norton