Roland Dixon's fourth full-length record. Folk centered on the alienation of life at the nadir of American life — a record of loss and retreat, of flinching hope, of dreams shattering. In spite of that, plenty of light shines in.
Released May 29, 2026 — Happy Day Records
The first single from Songs For Dogs — a duet with Knoxville singer Sarrenna, released April 2025.
Roland Dixon is a Knoxville, Tennessee songwriter writing in the weathered, literary, bleakly funny tradition where Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, and the old murder-ballad songbook meet. Across four albums and a steady run of singles, his songs lean toward the kind of plain devotion that doesn't apologize for itself — about jobs, houses, the people who stop calling, the dogs who don't.
Songs For Dogs, out May 29, 2026 on Happy Day Records, is his fourth full-length and the follow-up to 2024's Gasoline Man!. Lead single "Is It Worth A Try," a duet with Knoxville singer Sarrenna, premiered in April 2025 and previewed the album's preoccupations: loyalty, leaving, and what stays after you do. The dog-thread that ran through recent singles ("Why Does the Dogbird Sing About...") opens here into a full album about devotion and departure, among other things.
Dixon has performed on WDVX 89.9's Blue Plate Special and tours East Tennessee and the wider Southeast solo and with a small rotating cast of players. Collaborators include Roger Alan Wade, The Honky Tonk CIA, and The Goodluck Shaman.
Seated, acoustic guitar. 45-, 60-, or 75-minute sets — also available as two 45s with a short break. Originals only. Best suited for listening rooms, coffee houses, intimate club rooms, and dinner-show formats.
Dixon plus one or two rotating players — typically guitar, bass, or fiddle depending on the room. Same set length options. Works in rooms 80–200 capacity.
Stage plot available on request — it's a stool and two cables.
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Higher-resolution originals available on request.