Romeo Vaughn is a Mexican-American country singer from rural Santa Rosa, Texas. While his dad was a rodeo cowboy, he had many uncles who were musicians, including his Tio Pepe, who taught him to play guitar. Additionally, Vaughn's cousin is Jessie Turner, who is the frontman of the Latin Grammy Award-winning band, Siggno.
It was Turner who took him out on the road, and at age 14, Vaughn got to sing on stage with Siggno, and that is when he got the music bug.
Being a rodeo cowboy, Vaughn's dad listened to Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and George Jones. But his mom liked Bryan Adams. He admitted to listening to current country greats like George Strait, Keith Urban, and Garth Brooks. Still, he also liked Michael Jackson, NSYNC, and Backstreet Boys. However, his all-time favorite musician is the revered Keith Whitley.
After he graduated from high school, Vaughn joined the Army. When he got out, he embraced the diversity of modern country music, so he went to New York City to pursue a music career, where he was like a sponge absorbing everything he could.
In 2013, Vaughn released a traditional-sounding country record with his 5th Avenue band called The Beginning, which spun fun songs like "Dancin'" and "Live Our Lives."
When you hear Vaughn speak, you would think his music would have more of a Latin influence. He shared, "I don't really have songs about a truck. I try to tell my story of who I am, being a Mexican American in the Rio Grande Valley. We're very much Tex-Mex. Country is in our blood, not in our closet."
It was his friend and roommate, Eddie, who advised, "I think it is time for you to go to Nashville." The only problem was that he had nowhere to go. He lived at the I-24 TA Truck Stop (that has since been torn down for the new football stadium) and slept underneath the Jefferson Street Bridge. He had a friend who was a truck driver, and he gave Vaughn his points so he could take a shower, after which he would go out and network and write songs. No one knew he was homeless.
After 4 months of eating others' leftover food, he had had enough. His brother recommended that he call the VA, and within 45 minutes, they picked him up and took him to their mental health annex. Soon after, they referred him to the Matthew 25 organization, a non-profit that he still supports.
Vaughn worked at Chili's in Opry Mills and took as many extra shifts as he could. He stated, "I would rather be at work than sleeping in my car. And I knew if I was at work, I would get something hot to eat, not out of a garbage can."
He was finally able to get back on his feet, and all while writing music with his friends in Nashville. But the COVID pandemic shut down the music industry and put Vaughn in a tailspin. There wasn't a lot to do besides party, and he got addicted.
As he emerged from the pandemic, he still needed money to record songs and make videos. His parents took on extra jobs, sold tamales, and did fundraisers to help with his expenses. And all the while, Vaughn was getting drunk and high.
He shared, "I just started thinking about them and all the sacrifices they made, and thought, 'This is the way I'm going to pay them back.' And eventually, I snapped out of it. Some people go to rehab. I went to church. I grew up in church as a kid, but my heart wasn't in it. But I remembered that Jesus loved me. I remembered the scripture, 'Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.' And so, I went to Him and he saved me."
One of Vaughn's writing friends was Jason Nix, who helped write "Over," a song about getting over someone or something that is not good for you. He stated, "It's a breakup song, but if you see the video, the visual I tried to put out is the new me breaking up with the old me."
In 2023, he released "Cowboy in the Boots," which featured one of his heroes, DJ Kane from Kumbia Kings. The song is modern country mixed with R&B and a touch of Latino influence. It appeals to a vast audience.
The autobiographical "Doin My Thang" was released in 2024. It has elements of country but with some Spanglish thrown in, along with R&B. It's a feel-good song that makes you happy to be alive.
Vaughn's latest song from this year, "Big Dreams From A Small Town," has a redemption element to it and highlights his transformation. This song made me want to feature him.
He explained, "I've always been a dreamer. I knew if I didn't leave Santa Rosa, I would end up doing what Daddy does. I didn't just want to go to school, graduate, get a job, pay bills, and then die. I wanted to live. That's why I went to New York City and Nashville, because it was in the big cities where dreams come true."
With the words, All that I know is that the good Lord put a twang in this guitar/ When we get together, get to singin'/ It shows us who we are/ I want to be somewhere between Skynyrd and Whitley/ soul from the south and beats from the city/I'll be playin' until they put me in ground/ Got big dreams from a small town you can see why I was drawn to his music.
The song was actually written during his homeless period. Even so, if there ever was a song where you need to watch the video, it's this one. He addresses his homelessness, and it shows how God changed him to become what he is now. It also gives a glimpse of his gorgeous daughter, who was one of the reasons for his recovery and eventual sobriety.
He declared, "My talent is God's gift to me. But what I do with it is my gift back to God."
Vaughn is excited because he has a new team and is going to Fort Worth to start work on a new record. He will be working with the music executive, Smooth Vega. Vaughn has written 45 songs, and they are going to narrow it down to six. "I can't wait for you guys to hear what we've been cooking," he exclaimed.
I am eager to watch Romeo Vaughn's career as this talented performer combines his faith, heritage, and art to provide music that appeals to a wide variety of listeners.
You can follow Romeo Vaughn on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and all streaming platforms.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X.