If you, “Woke up this mornin’, dazed and confused,” and sung the lyric in your head, you’ve been bitten by the audio bug that is The Creekers. That line, the opening one from a song called “Tennessee” was the second-most played audio clip on TikTok this summer. It helped propel the Leslie County, Ky.-based bluegrass group to viral success, headline spots at music festivals, and ultimately a record deal with Warner Records.
Co-founder Tanner Horton took time out from digging fence post holes on his home property one evening not long ago to sit in and tell us about the band’s success, songwriting, how they all came together and a lot more. It turns out all but one member of the band has some sort of familial relationship with each other, either as direct as brothers (Jagger and Ashton Bowling), cousins (Horton and Allen Hacker) or by marriage (Scott Sutton).
And then there’s the outlier: fiddler Anna Blanton, whose live show antics have made The Creekers not just a sound for sore ears, but a sight to see live. She’s done everything from zip-lining to riding on her husband’s shoulders while jumping around the crowd. (Charlie Blanton incidentally, is the bass player for friend of the show Bill Taylor and the Appalachian Heatherns.)
Horton told us the story of the band coming together, his history with cousin and fellow guitarist and vocalist Allen Hacker, how the TikTok virality happened and what exactly they’ve got in store in the coming months with the band’s new record deal.
Frank and Falls also chatted about Falls’s recent trip outside of the Americana genre to take his daughter to a Tate McRae concert and they each share their Pickin’ the Grinnin’ pics for recommended music this week. Falls calls out Hazard, Ky., based vocalist Roy Caudill while Frank shares her experience seeing The Dirndolls live.
Watch the Episode on YouTube
Download the episode and subscribe at rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.
Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.
Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.
Notes and links:
The Creekers Online – https://www.thecreekersband.com/
The Creekers on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Ee2dvrxHJvnpWgaqC5T0i?si=FeRfJKy-RBaLuWhbwOtMBw
The TikTok viral video that launched the band into stardom – https://www.tiktok.com/@feel_good_music_/video/7534066914096631053?lang=en
Jason Falls’s rant against the “sellout” commenter – https://www.tiktok.com/@thejasonfalls/video/7554065591737290014?lang=en
The Roots Music Rambler Store – https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store
Roots Music Rambler on YouTube – https://youtube.com/@rootsmusicrambler
Roots Music Rambler on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/rootsmusicrambler/
Roots Music Rambler on TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@rootsmusicrambleon
Roots Music Rambler on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/RootsMusicRambler
Jason Falls on Instagram – https://instagram.com/jasonfalls
Jason Falls on TikTok – https://tiktok.com/@thejasonfalls
Francesca Folinazzo on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/workmomtravels/
Pickin’ the Grinnin’ Recommendations
Roy Caudill on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/4onYs7RmgpXVNaICrbsI3v?si=816iSC7ETVua9Af9cXo4ag
The Kentucky Music Mafia on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/40lCYmGHHxBE5GUz9ZAifs?si=xw2H5jQZTOGe2qS3xLTyGg
The Dirndolls on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/dirndolls.polka.band/
Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.
Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2025 – Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.
