Ole 60 is a Kentucky‑based country‑rock band that rose from near anonymity to national prominence with remarkable speed. Formed in Hawesville, the group takes its name from U.S. Highway 60, the road that connects the hometowns of founder and primary songwriter Jacob Ty Young and early collaborator Tristan Roby. The band’s origins are strikingly unglamorous—several members met while working at a local pizza and barbecue restaurant—and for years they operated entirely outside the traditional Nashville Lynyrd Skynyrd system. Drawing on influences that range from Appalachian folk and John Prine–style storytelling to Southern rock and alternative guitar music, Ole 60 positioned itself as what they often describe as “not your father’s country band,” a phrase that reflects their resistance to tight genre boundaries and industry polish.
In 2026, Ole 60 is firmly in touring mode, undertaking their most ambitious live schedule to date with the Smokestack Town Tour, which runs from winter through early fall across the United States. The tour serves as full support for their debut album and combines an extensive headlining run with high‑profile festival appearances and major opening slots. Throughout the spring and early summer, Ole 60 headlines theaters and amphitheaters in key markets, often bringing along a rotating cast of similarly minded acts such as Cigarettes @ Sunset , The Jack Wharff Band , Buffalo Traffic Jam and The Bends . As the year progresses, they step onto larger stages, appearing at marquee festivals like Stagecoach and Gulf Coast Jam and joining Koe Wetzel ’s 2026 arena and amphitheater tour as a primary support act for a multi‑week stretch, exposing them to substantially larger crowds.
