Ricky Chilton’s Story

Richard Waylon Chiltonson, better known by his stage name, Ricky Chilton, was born in the back of a ‘91 Bronco on a hot Georgia evening in August. After serving in the Iraq war at just 5 years old, doing two tours in Al-Qa’im, he went on to begin his music career in Nashville. After a brief stint in prison, Chilton found himself opening for the late great Toby Keith a record breaking 314 times, after which he decided to take a hiatus to his 4000 acre ranch in Miami, Texas. There he discovered he was homesteading on a field of approximately 340 million barrels of crude oil. He became one of the wealthiest independent children in America, at just 11 years old having a net worth of $278 Million. Neither fame nor money would change him, because according to Chilton, “I ain’t no fancy boy”.

Now 13 years later, after having lost 99% of his entire net worth playing slots, he is resuming his music career. His debut album “The Essential Ricky Chilton” was released January 10th, 2025. All 16 tracks showcase Chilton's signature style of storytelling, guitar playing and anguish after Jeana broke things off. 8 months later, on August 6th, after a busy season of writing and touring, he released his 2nd album, “HORSEPOWER”. With a cast of incredible musicians such as Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings, Mighty Poplar), Jordan Rose (Laufey, Theo Katzman, etc), Devon Yesberger, Mackenzie Brown, and more, it is a powerful album that befits the powerful equestrian vehicle on the album cover.

Ricky Chilton’s third album “Ricky Deluxe” features a dizzying assortment of genre explorations, guitar solos, tall tales, and short tales.

Featuring a similar cast of amazing session musicians, including Jacob Joliff on Mandolin (Yonder Mountain String Band, Béla Fleck) and a feature from one of Ricky’s all time favorite guitar players and Europeans, Joscho Stephan, “Ricky Deluxe” came out on April 28th, 2026.