Transparency and care for his roots inspire Livingston-born country star Bayker Blankenship. Coming from humble beginnings, Blankenship has become one of the hottest young country musicians in the country.
Blankenship, who Livingston locals may recognize as either the kid who made “Maxed Out” or the guy at the 1806 General Store, began playing guitar with his buddies in early 2022.
The trajectory took off for Blankenship when he started posting videos and performing on TikTok live, the platform where his second single “Maxed Out” started gaining traction.
“When your song gets played that many times all over the world, people recognize who you are pretty fast,” Blankenship said.
Blankenship has performed most of his recent live shows at Livingston restaurant Wayne’s Grill, most recently on Wednesday, Sept. 11, where the patio was reserved for family and friends.
Surrounded by his loved ones, Blankenship performed all the hits, as well as unreleased material and covers from the likes of Darius Rucker and Zack Bryan lining his setlist.
“Everywhere I’ve went has been pretty different, coming from a small town, always getting recognized, then going out into the real world and getting recognized in places you’ve never been before.”
Though Blankenship just recently began traveling for shows, his viral success is allowing him to headline his first US tour, supported by Creative Arts Agency LLC.
While many new artists would be worried about getting on the road so soon, Blankenship said “I am ready to get on tour and meet every single one of my fans, I really am. It’s very exciting that I’m even able to do this.”
“I really love them and can’t wait to put a name to a face and know who all these people are,” he continued.
Blankenship is going from performing at local Livingston restaurants like Wayne’s and the Steel Coop to large stages in Nashville, Chicago, St. Lewis and more. Despite the success, he tries not to let it get to his head.
“Always keep yourself humble,” Blankenship remarked. “Don’t over-enjoy yourself too much, because the fans are what makes your career, and if you lose those fans you lose your job.”
“Just be normal, be humble, and accept and love everybody.”
Blankenship carries with him the idea, “If you really want something, you can’t just halfway do it.” He continues by quoting one of his creative inspirations.
“If you’ve got a dream, chase it, cause dreams won’t chase you back. ‘Til’ You Can’t’ by Cody Johnson just hits me.”
“Just keep your head held high when things get low, don’t let nobody steer you wrong, and always do what you wanna do and what you think is best, and not what everyone else thinks.”
