Before streaming and algorithms decided what came next, the songs we loved found us by accident — on the radio, in a borrowed CD, on a mix burned for someone who mattered. Bay Simpson’s new single “Summertime Classics” taps straight into that feeling, blending Muscle Shoals soul, heartland‑rock grit, and the kind of nostalgia that can stop you in your tracks years later.
“It’s in your bones. The tone and the way you delivered the vocals really showed me an understanding of rock ’n’ roll music. Knowing that you know it is enough for me to be like, ‘This dude is awesome. He’s going to be different than anybody on the show.’” — Adam Levine
“In a city that often tries to round off an artist’s sharp edges to make them fit a country-radio mold, Simpson has fought to keep his grit.” — The Medium
“Simpson has an old-school retro folk-rock tone, which checks out with his musical lore.” — The Tennessean
Before playlists took over, before streaming placed every song ever recorded at our fingertips, and long before algorithms started deciding what we should hear next, finding a favorite song meant something. You heard it on the radio. You borrowed the CD from a friend. You burned it onto a mix and played it until the speakers rattled. Those songs became the soundtrack to first loves, summer nights, wrong turns, and the moments you didn’t realize would matter forever. Years later, one chorus can still stop you in your tracks and take you right back.
For Bay Simpson, those songs became “Summertime Classics.” Fresh off his breakout run on NBC’s The Voice—where Adam Levine called him “different than anybody on the show”—the 20-year-old Muscle Shoals native returns with a sun-soaked rock anthem built on nostalgia, freedom, and the records that become part of who we are.
“Summertime Classics is really a tale about summertime love, and how it coincides with the music I grew up listening to,” Simpson says. “I don’t know about you, but I can almost always tie a certain song or artist to a certain period of time in my life.”
Written alongside Logan Platt, Chris Miller, and Landon Sears, the track turns nostalgia into something bigger than memory. It celebrates the way music and relationships become tangled together until it’s impossible to separate one from the other. With nods to Sublime and classics like “Jet Airliner,” Simpson isn’t name-dropping—he’s documenting a feeling.
“A lot of people view me as a throwback sort of artist,” he says. “All the more reason to pay homage to the greats in a song.”
That throwback quality has become part of Simpson’s appeal. While many artists his age chase trends, Simpson continues to build his sound on the foundation of classic rock, Southern soul, and timeless songwriting. The chorus captures that perfectly: “Still feels like the first time / With a touch of Sublime / Just a couple midnight riders…” It’s a song about young love. It’s a song about growing up. But more than anything, it’s a song about the records that become the soundtrack to both.
“When we finished the song, I knew it was great,” Simpson says. “The way we tied the comparison between those legendary songs and two summertime lovers just made perfect sense to me.”
The release continues a breakout stretch for Simpson following his nationally televised run on The Voice and the momentum of earlier singles “Too Good To Be True” and “Different Animal.” At just 20 years old, he’s already accomplished what many songwriters spend a lifetime chasing. Before appearing on the show, he earned a major cut with Kid Rock, who recorded Simpson’s song “Never Enough.”
Raised in the legendary music town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Simpson grew up surrounded by the ghosts of great records—a lineage that includes an unlikely family connection to Elvis Presley himself. His mother’s grandfather’s aunt was Presley’s grandmother, making the King of Rock ’n’ Roll a distant relative.
Yet what makes Simpson compelling isn’t where he comes from. It’s that he understands something many artists spend years trying to learn: the best songs don’t just tell stories—they take people back.
“Who knows,” Simpson says. “Maybe ‘Summertime Classics’ will be a summertime classic one day.”
About Bay Simpson
Authentic songwriting grounded in the roots of Alabama.
Born and raised in Muscle Shoals, Bay Simpson grew up with music in his blood. Surrounded by studios, stages, and storytellers, he learned early what it meant to pour heart, grit, and truth into a song. By his mid-20s, he had already lived a lifetime of music, earning the kind of experience most artists don’t see until much later in their careers.
Simpson gained national recognition as a contestant on The Voice, where he earned a spot on Team Adam Levine. His time on the show introduced his powerful vocals and authentic storytelling to a national audience, solidifying his reputation as a compelling live performer.
At just 20, he earned his first major songwriting cut when Kid Rock recorded “Never Enough.” That early success fueled years of touring, writing, and fronting his country-rock band Outlaw Apostles, where he shared stages with legends including Dwight Yoakam and Jamey Johnson. Those years shaped his sound—raw, soulful, Southern, and unmistakably his own.
Now stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist, Bay Simpson is carving his own path. With each song and every show, he brings authenticity, a powerful voice, and the spirit of Muscle Shoals to the forefront. This new chapter is built on passion, resilience, and a lifelong love of music. Bay Simpson is just getting started.
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For more information, contact Dead Horse Branding at the following:
Danielle Reiss
Dead Horse Branding
Phone: (949) 421 9787
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