Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Owen Ragland. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Owen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Theres something really nostalgic about riding in a school bus for the first time as an adult. The way the seats aren’t really comfortable or uncomfortable, the wonderfully designed windows that seem impossible to break but are always broken…
When I found myself riding in a partially converted bluebird in 2023 I couldn’t stop smiling. I began dreaming about living out of a bus, traveling around playing music, watching the land change and writing what I saw…
At the time I had just finished my second year of college in NY and became hellbent on touring. I had already formed a band and managed to book us a tour from Austin, TX to NY. A slow and steady beginner course in all things band and booking, my friends and I caravanned in sedans the whole route. That first tour was all I needed to take the risk. I dropped out of college, moved back to my hometown of Saint Louis, MO and bought a 40ft Schoolbus. That’s how I’ve spent the last year; playing shows, booking shows and working on the Schoolbus, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. Giving everything to music has been a risk I always wanted to take but couldn’t quite trust myself to take. A leap of faith I think requires a certain push, something to give you confidence in the unknown path, the uncertain future. I hope that reading this will inspire someone to take that leap into uncertainty because it has been so beautiful. The amount of people I’ve met, moments I’ve shared, and places I’ve been in the last year has proven to me that certainty is a path to disillusionment.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Owen Whitworth Ragland. I am a producer, pianist and most recently a vocalist. I am from Saint Louis, Missouri. Music was an early part of my life with my father giving me Piano lessons at age 3. By age 7 I was being called a “prodigy” and I began working professionally in music at age 14 producing and playing behind artists locally. By age 19 I had a residency at a local jazz club playing my original tunes with a quintet and was writing and touring for artists across the country. During the Covid pandemic I began producing for myself as a vocalist and found my own songwriting voice under my middle name “Whitworth”. After moving to New York in 2021 to attend Sarah Lawrence College I found a crew of committed friends to bring my production to life on the live stage and began frequenting the NYC club scene. In 2022 I embarked on my own national tour as Whitworth playing 10 major cities from Austin to NY and releasing my debut EP “Down to Earth”. In 2023 I signed with french distributor Groover Obsessions and released my debut album “Earth to Dreamer” accompanied by a west coast tour in my converted schoolbus. I am extremely proud of the work I have created as an artist and so amazed by what my friends and I have done to push the boundaries of independent music. Everything I write comes from a place of chosen optimism and I hope listeners walk away feeling inspired to continue dreaming in the midst of the anxieties of the world.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Artists have historically been at the forefront of thriving communities, helping to bring people together and maintain peaceful co-existence. Society should reinforce this viewpoint rather than what I think is an overly commodified perspective that artists are simply creating objects for consumption. When society views art as purely commodity it looses its true value as a guiding force for emotion belonging not only to the creator but anyone who seeks the creators guidance. Anyone bold enough to trust the creative process deserves to be uplifted by society and community.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

This ones simple. Twenty three days into my second tour we had completed our final show in LA and was driving my schoolbus back to Saint Louis. On the way through death valley running low on gas and absolutely covered in sweat my friend Hal was smart enough to point out that we probably needed to fill up so as to not die in the desert. At the pump I watched as someone pulled into the gas station and immediately started yelling “WHITWORTH!?” and lit up. A huge smile came over a young girls face as she got out of the car and started to explain that she and her father were on the way to Las Vegas from LA and had been at our show last night. They were so excited to see the big yellow Whitworth schoolbus chugging across the desert that they just had to come say hello. It was at this moment that I felt everything I had given to this project over the last year was worth it. Driving across the desert in 110 degree heat was worth it. The lack of sleep and money was worth those folks smiles as we pushed accross the desert landscape.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.whitworthmusic.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_whitworth_/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2tL5iVJXS8j7pjd4DDInQ
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/whitworth-ragland/spring-a-reprise

Image Credits

Diana Hardage