9 OUT OF 10 REVIEW FROM 50ARTISTS50STATES.COM
THE STORIES AND SONGS OF “THE BEADLES”
“We are dealing here with a sensational singer/songwriter”- Strutter’zine (Holland)
So you’re thinking, “Hey dude, you spelled ‘The Beatles’ wrong!” But you’d be incorrect; this is the story of a different musical “Beadles,” one born into the world as Kevin Beadles. Kevin is a Berkeley-based singer/songwriter who has notched three Top 40 songs on the ECMA European Country Charts with his California Country sound. His music is an addictive amalgam of contemporary country and throw-back pop. Think part David Sedaris (best-selling humorist) and part David Lowery (Cracker), and you’re on the path to understanding the stories and songs of “the Beadles.”
Grand Prize Winner of the Great American Song Contest and West Coast Songwriters International, Beadles’ music has been licensed to film and TV, including Sony Pictures, Mar Vista Films, MTV and Discovery Network.
Kevin’s musical evolution began as a child growing up in Glendale, California. “We were very briefly the center of the rock n’ roll world when Glendale’s own The Knack hit it big with “My Sharona.” His mom bought him a $100 used piano and a future songwriter was born. He was soon playing in bands in Los Angeles, and later San Francisco, that were invited to open for acts like DEVO, The Tubes, Tommy Tutone, Dramarama, and Chris Isaak.
In 2010, he released his debut album, You Can’t Argue with Water. The CD was an immediate success with its unusual meld of musings and meanings. The tracks ran the gamut from poignant ballads such as “High” to up-tempo rockers like “Shine.” There was also the humorously macabre tale of “Mrs. Jones’ Cadillac,” a bitter divorcee who hauls her “past” around in the back of a black Caddy hearse. Even before its release, the album gave Beadles his first big break.
Kevin explains, “I was invited to perform live-in-studio on Linda Seabright’s Americana show called On the Road Again on NPR.” The appearance caught the ear of Ripple Music who signed him. With more support, Beadles scored a couple of licensing deals and had the first of several performances during SXSW (South by Southwest) in Austin, Texas.
Following the success of You Can’t Argue with Water, Beadles released a series of singles, collaborating with an A-list of producers and studio pros who were drawn to his music, including Scott Mathews (Johnny Cash, Bowie), Bonnie Hayes (Natalie Cole, Billy Idol), Brady Blade, Jef Labes (Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt), Nick Buda (Taylor Swift, Jewel), and Sinclair.
The Sinclair-produced pop rock single, “This Might Get Loud,” featuring Nashville’s Sharif Iman, was released in 2015 and helped solidify Beadles’ growing reputation as a songwriter. The tune was the Grand Prize Winner of theGreat American Song Contest and led to additional licensing and publishing contracts.
2016 saw the release of “Shouldn’,” a tongue-in-cheek tribute to redneck anthems which took off in Europe and became Beadles’ first charting track, reaching #26 on the ECMA Country Charts. The following year, Beadles returned to the ECMA Top 30 with “All Down for Austin,” featuring legendary drummer Brady Blade (Dylan, Dave Matthews). The song showcases Beadles’ ability to pen a storyline as it humorously recounts his band’s first trip to South by Southwest.
Beadles’ momentum continued in 2018 when “I Yield” reached #34 on the ECMA Country Charts and “Won’t Be Alone” was licensed by Nashville’s Washington Street Publishing.
Following the steady release of another five singles, 2021 saw Beadles’ entire catalog licensed to CAPP Records, who specialize in sourcing music for film and TV. According to their website, “If there’s any artist who can effortlessly speak to an audience through poignant songwriting, it’s Kevin Beadles.” The debut of Sinclair’s (Kacey Musgraves, Daughtry) own version of “Won’t Be Alone” later in 2021 represented the first time a well-known artist had released a Beadles-penned tune. Another Sinclair-Beadles collaboration, “Damned If I Know,” was a finalist in the 2021 Great American Song Contest, and both songs were included on Sinclair’s Montage EP (2022). The two artists teamed up a third time to co-write, “Tonight I’m in Love,” which was released as a single by Sinclair in July 2023.
Returning the favor, Sinclair produced several new songs for Beadles in 2024, including “Santa Sleighs It Every Time,“ which was released just in time to celebrate the one guy who “never lets you down like Amazon Prime,” and “Old, Old Story” which will debut in early 2025.
Following the steady release of another five singles, 2021 saw Beadles’ entire catalog licensed to CAPP Records, who specialize in sourcing music for film and TV. The debut of Sinclair’s (Kacey Musgraves, Daughtry) own version of “Won’t Be Alone” later that year represented the first time a well-known artist had released a Beadles’ penned tune. Another Sinclair-Beadles collaboration, “Damned If I Know”, was a finalist in the 2021 Great American Song Contest, and both songs were included on Sinclair’s Montage EP (2022).
Beadles is currently finishing work on a 5-song EP, Beautiful Bastards, due out in late 2025, as well as his second full-length album, Be Young Today. The title track, “Be Young Today,” was inspired by the famous lament of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr as he observed scandalously bare legs on a warm spring day in 1930, “Ah, to be 85 again!”
It is the dichotomy of a sometimes humorous and sometimes serious introspective look at the human condition that makes Kevin Beadles’ brand of storytelling stand apart. There’s always a story and a song in Kevin Beadles. And if the recent past is any indication, the future looks increasingly bright for a “Beadles” Invasion of California Country music.
SO WHAT KIND OF NAME IS “BEADLES”
Is that like The Beatles? “Well no,” explains Kevin, “it’s actually an old occupational name like Baker or Fisher. But like The Beatles, my name comes from England. My people were the town criers who announced the news of the day. ‘War is my beadle!’ Henry V tells the French, which means, ‘No more warnings, you’ll know I’m coming when war begins.’ That’s excellent 15th century smack-talk, don’t ya think? And being a songwriter seems right in line with the old family tradition of shouting out the news of the day.”
WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING
“Beadles plays a sublime kind of music…a pristine talent.” — Bill Sullivan, Senior Music Writer, Rock and Roll Report
“Kevin Beadles is clearly a force to be reckoned with. His songs are emotionally complex, ingenuously crafted and instantly appealing. He is a gifted new artist who truly impresses on every level.” — Steve Cahill, Executive Director, Great American Song Contest
“Kevin’s lyrics are inspired, insightful and quirky. He writes hooky songs about real life and delivers them with a passionate, soulful voice.” — Steve Seskin, Grammy-nominated writer of seven #1 songs
“Kevin Beadles is an amazing artist who manages to go deep while maintaining a pop sensibility that is irresistible.” — Scott Mathews, multi-platinum producer (Elvis Costello, John Hiatt, Neil Young, etc.)
