Colt Maddren is a rising force in the Southern alt-country scene, known for his raw songwriting, gritty stage presence, and unfiltered honesty. Born and raised in Gulfport, Mississippi, Colt came up the hard way—through busted knuckles, busted strings, and a few busted dreams. After a troubled youth that included time in juvie and a near-fatal overdose in his early twenties, Colt spent years scraping together bar gigs, mostly covering other people’s pain. He played dive bars and backroom sets for crowds more interested in their beers than his voice. But everything changed when Mama Jo, the owner of a local bar who believed in him, loaned him the money to record a few original tracks. In July 2025, Colt launched his debut album Half Clean, Still Breathing, a thunderous and soul-bearing collection of songs that landed like a gut punch across the indie country scene. With tracks like Chainlink Halo, Mama Jo, and Shut Up and Bleed, the album balanced outlaw swagger with a deeply vulnerable undercurrent. Colt’s lyrics dealt with addiction, grief, survival, and complicated love, earning him a cult following almost overnight. That same month, he set out on his first small-venue circuit: The Half Clean Tour. What started in Gulfport grew into a word-of-mouth phenomenon. Each night, Colt played like it might be his last—screaming through the pain, whispering through the wounds, and leaving everything on stage. Videos of his stripped-down performances and gritty dive bar sermons started spreading online. By the end of the summer, Colt wasn’t just surviving—he was building a legend. Now, in December 2025, Colt is back in the studio working on his follow-up project. He still rents a room over a bait shop just outside Memphis. He’s still sober, mostly. He’s still healing. But for the first time in his life, Colt Maddren isn’t just the guy with a busted guitar in the corner of a bar. He’s an artist with something to say—and now, people are listening.