“I started writing ‘Hey There Son’ in 2019, around the time my first son was born,” explains Godwin. “I’m a huge fan of Lori McKenna, and always felt like she’d be the perfect person to help me finish it. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to bring it to her in 2024, and we knocked it out in an afternoon. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room by the time we finished.”

“When Al and I started recording it, I knew I wanted that perspective shift in the final verse, and Wyatt was the obvious choice,” says Godwin. “He’s incredible, and his performance took the song to the next level. I’m really proud of this one.”

Christian Name is an intensely personal collection of songs, but it’s more than just another body of work; it’s how Godwin learned to live again. Through moments of mourning. Through tales of redemption. And ultimately, through a tried-and-true reaffirmation of his faith.

“These songs really meant a lot to me,” Godwin explains. “There’s parts of me and parts of the things that I’ve gone through in the last couple years that are in each and every song on this album.”

While Christian Name is without question a highly personal affair for Godwin – he took direct inspiration for both the album title and album cover from his late grandfather, Charles Godwin, a Methodist preacher – he’s quick to note how critical a role his creative community of friends and musical collaborators played in the album’s conception.

Not only does Christian Name include a pair of thrilling feature collaborations – the earworm “Better That Way” with Luke Combs and the remarkable “Hey There Son” featuring Flores – but it’s also the result of Godwin partnering with some of music’s most treasured songwriters: Stephen Wilson Jr. (“Brand New”), Liz Rose (“I Caught The Sunrise”), Lori McKenna (“Hey There Son”), Aaron Ratiere (“God’s Been Good To Me”), Travis Meadows (“Try Again,” “Every Once In Awhile”), Scooter Carusoe (“Better That Way,” "Hallelujah High,” “Place I Know”), and Tom Douglas (“Street Advice”). The album was produced by Allegheny High guitarist and Godwin’s longtime producer Al Torrence.

“I had a lot of help with this album — I sought out people and they brought a lot of the hope and the light and the lighter moments of the album,” Godwin offers. “That was a lot of their influence. The album needed that.”

Godwin will tour extensively in support of Christian Name. “The Christian Name Tour” kicks off July 14th in Sioux Falls, SD and runs through mid-November, with a return to Red Rocks on October 15th. In addition to his own headline shows, Godwin will be doing a co-headline run with Dylan Gossett this Summer, and he’ll open for Kacey Musgraves on her “Middle of Nowhere” tour this Fall.

Charles Wesley Godwin 2026 Tour Dates

Jul 2 - Calgary, AB - Cowboys Music Festival

Jul 10 - Saint Paul, MN - Minnesota Country Club Festival

Jul 14 - Sioux Falls, SD - The District

Jul 17 - Emigrant, MT - The Old Saloon

Jul 18 - Kalispell, MT - Majestic Valley Arena

Jul 19 - Whitefish, MT - Under the Big Sky Festival

Jul 22 - Jackson, WY - Teton County Fair

Aug 4 - San Francisco, CA- Regency

Aug 6 - Sacramento, CA - Channel 24

Aug 7 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern

Aug 8 - San Diego, CA - SOMA

Aug 13 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto

Aug 14 - Phoenix, AZ - Van Buren

Aug 21 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground

Aug 22 - Toronto, ON - History

Aug 27 - Oklahoma City, OK - Criterion

Aug 28 - Lubbock, TX - Cook’s Garage*

Aug 29 - New Braunfels, TX - Whitewater Amphitheater*

Sept 11 - Baltimore, MD - Pier Six

Sept 12 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner

Sept 17 - Landmark Theatre - Syracuse, NY

Sept 18 - Philadelphia, PA - Fillmore

Sept 23 - Kansas City, MO - T-Mobile Center#

Sept 26 - Nashville, TN - The Pinnacle*

Sept 29 - New York, NY - The Rooftop at Pier 17*

Sept 30 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena#

Oct 1 - Raleigh, NC - Red Hat Amphitheater*

Oct 9 - North Charleston, SC - Riverfront Revival

Oct 15 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Oct 17 - Garden City, ID - Revolution Concert House

Oct 18 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom

Oct 21 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory

Oct 22 - Seattle, WA - SoDo

Oct 24 - Vancouver, BC - Orpheum Theater

Nov 5 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre

Nov 6 - Charleston, WV - Charleston Coliseum

Nov 7 - Cincinnati, OH - MegaCorp Pavilion

Nov 12 - Chicago, IL - Salt Shed

Nov 13 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside

Nov 14 - St. Louis, MO - Factory

* co-headline with Dylan Gossett

# supporting Kacey Musgraves

Pre-order/pre-save Christian Name HERE

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