Midland is an American country band from Dripping Springs, Texas. Described by Rolling Stone as blending “their voices to produce country music that recalls a mix of George Strait, Urban Cowboy and seventies yacht rock,” the band has found success with records like On the Rocks and Let It Roll. They scored their first Platinum-selling single in 2017 with “Drinkin’ Problem,” and they’ve been on a mission to keep making music ever since. Read all about them right here.
instruments played
Guitar
Vocals
Genres
Neotraditional country Texas country music
Labels
Big Machine
Origin
Dripping Springs, Texas, U.S.
Website
Years Active
2016 present
Name
Midland
Midland’s Origins
The group got their name from a song by Dwight Yoakam — one of the biggest names in country music – ”Fair to Midland,” a song whose title refers to the town of Midland-Odessa, Texas. Midland-Odessa is the home of Midland International Air and Space Port. The band was founded by Jess Carson, Mark Wystrach, and Cameron Duddy, who all met while living near Los Angeles, California. However, after they all started collaborating on music together, they moved back to TX and eventually became Midland. After attending Cameron Duddy’s wedding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the other future members of the group started playing songs and decided they wanted to form a band. When Cameron returned from his honeymoon, the trio started recording tracks at the Sonic Ranch, a studio in El Paso, TX.The Band’s Members
- Cameron Duddy, the band’s bassist and co-vocalist, got his first guitar from his dad when he was a kid. He started finding solace in music at an early age and later went on to become proficient in other instruments, as well as vocals. In addition to playing for Midland, Cameron is also a VMA-winning music video director with credits like Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven” and several Midland videos.
- Jess Carson, vocalist and guitarist, was born in Oregon, where he fell in love with country music at an early age. Carson is responsible for a large portion of the songwriting duties for Midland.
- Mark Wystarch, vocalist and guitarist, was born to music-loving parents from LA and Tucson. In addition to playing music with Midland, he acts and models professionally.