The Kentucky Gentlemen: Derek and Brandon Campbell
Twin brothers Derek and Brandon Campbell grew up in Versailles, Ky., where their deep love of singing country music together led them to form The Kentucky Gentlemen. The 10-year veterans of Nashville music are thrilled to play May 31 at Musicians Corner, during the beloved free concert series’s 15th spring run in Centennial Park.
In March, the duo debuted “Heartache in the Hills” — a hip-dipping single about cutting loose to get through a breakup that practically screams “summer jam” — via On the Radar. The influential platform is best-known for hip-hop, but The Kentucky Gentlemen were its first of many planned country guests. This milestone came days before Beyoncé released Cowboy Carter, amplifying the ongoing discussion about the wealth of Black musicians who have always been part of country but who were rendered practically invisible by ingrained racism in the industry. The Campbells are proud to be part of this conversation, and especially to see Black people becoming more comfortable with identifying themselves as country artists and fans. And while they’ve had tons of great singles, they’ve set their sights on a bigger project.
“It’s definitely time [for fans] to get a taste of who we are now,” Brandon Campbell says, “because we have been here 10 years, and we’re ready to tell our 10-year story and how we became who we are today.”
“The past year or two, folks have really been leaning in, and seem to be loving who we are and us just being completely ourselves,” Derek adds. “That’s the driving factor for what we’re working on right now.”
See our extensive calendar of summertime events — and meet some of the interesting Nashvillians keeping this summer cool
