Kyle Gates likes to keep busy. Whether it’s on the road or in the studio, the Texas-born singer/songwriter has never gone more than a few months without a new release. Even after the release of his debut EP, Throw a Dog a Bone, he was back less than a month later with a fantastic, bluegrass-tinged single, “Learning to Love Again.”
Having immersed himself deeply into traditional country music the second it hit his ears, Gates draws on the likes of Keith Whitley and George Strait on Throw a Dog a Bone. From the opening steel and fiddle licks on “A Memory Lost Somewhere,” Gates transports listeners to a honky tonk in country music’s glory days, and keeps them there through the EP’s five tracks. And luckily, even after “Learning to Love Again,” Gates promises more new music is on the way.
We chatted with Gates all about Throw a Dog a Bone, new music, his favorite Keith Whitley songs and more!
Pro Country: Your bio lists artists like Keith Whitley, Randy Travis and George Jones as major influences on you. What was it about their music, and the traditional stylings of country music, that connected with you so early in your life?
Kyle Gates: I felt a connection to those artists the moment I first heard them. As a kid trying to learn songs for older folks around a campfire, it was their music I would hear around me. Being a San Antonio boy, I have had a lot of influence from George Strait and loved his classic style and the way he handled himself. Growing older, I’ve found a similarity in their storytelling and their way of presenting raw emotion through their voice. Keith Whitley is my all-time favorite vocalist, and I find a lot of inspiration in my music comes from him.
PC: How early did that love of music translate into playing guitar, singing and writing songs?
KG: I’ve had a guitar in my hand since the very beginning. There’s an old picture of me as a toddler laying on the floor in the living room surrounded by over 20 different guitars and instruments that my dad owned. Safe to say I was making noise on the guitar at around 4-5 years-old. Around the age of 9, I was playing through full songs and trying to sing. It all started around campfires and family gatherings; my dad would tell me to bring a guitar with me everywhere I went, and said there’s always someone who might want to listen. I started playing at St. Jerome’s Church when I was in high school, and around that time, I was learning almost every classic country/red dirt cover song that I could.
PC: When did you realize that music was something you wanted to, and feasibly could, pursue as a career?
KG: Funny enough, I never wanted to have a career in music or as a performer. I played junior college baseball for a few years, and I debated on taking a shot at playing professionally, or I wanted to continue to work cattle and stay home as a welder. I began writing songs at my house in college for fun, and I would play them for people I knew. They would all tell me I needed to record them, but I had absolutely no clue how to get into a studio or how anything worked in the music industry. I was able to get in a studio with producer Matt Pfannsteil and recorded a few songs that year. I decided to quit baseball and attend Texas Tech University while trying to figure out this music thing. I spent about a year there trying to write songs by myself every night, and found Lubbock to be the place that turned me into a songwriter. It wasn’t until I decided to drop out of school to begin working cattle and doing construction when I realized I could eventually turn these songs into a career down the road.
PC: In 2023, you released your debut single, “Stuck on a Dream.” What emotions were you feeling as you were preparing to release music for the first time?
KG: I didn’t have too many emotions, because at the time, it was just something fun I thought I would try, and I had a lot of people asking me to put my songs out so everyone could hear them. I decided to put it out on DistroKid and thought it was cool to have a song out for the world to hear.
PC: You closed 2024 with a cover of Keith Whitley’s “Talk to Me Texas.” Having listed him as a major influence, can you tell us a few of your favorite Keith Whitley songs and what you love about them?
KG: I don’t think I can find a bad Whitley song in his catalog. Some of my favorites include “I Want My Rib Back,” “Dance with Me Molly” and “Honky Tonk Heart.” I’m a big fan of the honky tonk side of his music, and his choppy vocal runs play a big factor in my honky tonk style.
PC: “Here to Stay” was the first release from your new EP, Throw a Dog a Bone. Why did you feel “Here to Stay” was the right song to kick off the EP?
KG: After my first studio sessions with Tommy Detamore, we had recorded “Here to Stay”and “A Memory Lost Somewhere.” After that session, I had inked with Santa Anna Records for a distribution deal including two EPs. “Here to Stay” was the first song finished, and I thought it was a good single to put out as with the label as I transitioned back home to La Vernia from Lubbock.
PC: The EP’s second and third singles, “A Memory Lost Somewhere” “All I Can Do,” have each earned over 50,000 streams on Spotify since their release, with several thousand more across platforms. How encouraging has the response to the songs been in the months that they’ve been released?
KG: It’s been extremely encouraging to see people are continuing to listen to my music, and the numbers are showing I’m headed in the right direction. I believe the Lord above has put me exactly where I need to be with an amazing group of people. The overall support I have received in the last few years has been a blessing.
PC: “All I Can Do” landed on Spotify’s “Fresh Finds Country” curated playlist this week. What does it mean to you to have your song on a major playlist with some of the brightest up and-comers in country music?
KG: I think it shows we are taking a step in the right direction! Very grateful that Spotify has started putting my music in with everyone else on these playlists and allowing others to hear to the music we have made.
PC: “Throw a Dog a Bone” is the second track on its EP. What drew you to have the song serve as the title track?
KG: The title “Throw a Dog a Bone” only felt fitting to describe the way my life was going at the time of making the project. I had a lot of difficult times and obstacles I was facing the last few years. I started realizing there’s no point in living like a sad country song. It turned into a feel-good song that catapulted me into focusing on making music to have a good time.
PC: As lovers of sad songs, “Ain’t No Good” is one of our favorite songs on Throw a Dog a Bone, and is a song you wrote by yourself. Can you take us in the room and talk about how the song came together?
KG: This song poured out of me in about 20 minutes or so, and every word rings true to having a heartbreak. Going from being with a person you thought you would spend the rest of your life with to being completely alone can destroy a man. This was the first song I felt I could get feelings off my chest and move in a positive direction. I love being alone now, and the song definitely helped me get through a pretty nasty heartache.
PC: What do you hope listeners take away from Throw a Dog a Bone after listening all the way through?
KG: I hope listeners can start to see the good in the bad times like I do now. Having faith that there is always a light at the end of every dark tunnel! My faith in the Lord above has helped me tremendously in understanding there are ups and downs in life, and the good times will always outweigh the bad as long as you believe in the good times.
PC: You just released your new single, “Learning to Love Again.” How important is it for you to keep a steady stream of releases flowing?
KG: This is probably my favorite song I have cut so far. It’s a bluegrass-inspired love song about meeting the right person at the wrong time. The story is about two people who split apart and went their own directions to grow. They end up meeting each other again later in life and falling in love all over again as strangers. I think it’s very important for me to keep a steady stream of music rolling right now to keep giving people fresh music. Currently working a full-time construction job and pursuing a recording career is very difficult, but I’m enjoying every step of the way.
PC: With new music already on the horizon, what do you have planned for the rest of 2025 and going into 2026?
KG: Be on the lookout for lots of new music. Two singles on the way by the end of 2025 and working on a couple projects for next year!
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