From playing covers online to making chart-toppers, Sam Barber brings tour to Spokane

Over the past couple years, a country renaissance has been taking the genre by storm, especially among online audiences. And this is exactly how Sam Barber went from posting cover videos to playing venues like the sold-out Knitting Factory this Thursday.

Over the course of 2021, Barber quickly gained online notoriety for his covers of classics such as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” as well as more recent tunes like the Lumineers’ “Ophelia” and multiple Zach Bryan songs – the man who is arguably the leader of the “authentic” country revival and who even took much public notice of Barber.

Barber slowly but surely released a slew of singles from late 2021 and through most of 2023, including the RIAA Gold Certified “Straight and Narrow” and a cover “Dancing in the Sky” by English pop duo Dani and Lizzy that turned the sound of the original song around almost completely.

He released his debut EP titled “Million Eyes” in late 2023 and would make his Grand Ole Opry debut just two days later. So far this year, he has released a live EP and two singles titled “S.O.B.” and “Streetlight.”

Barber is currently on his “Till I Return Tour” that quickly sold out most dates across the U.S., including his Spokane stop. He will be joined by fellow country singer-songwriter Kade Hoffman.