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‘I have made it’: Country singer and Cresson native relishes chance to return to roots

Country singer and Cresson native relishes chance to return to roots

Cresson native Josh Gallagher returned home in early July to celebrate America's 250th birthday among friends, family and fans with a live concert at The Main Line Mania Wing Fest.

"Every single time that I come back here, it's packed," he said of performing for the local crowd. "I can't be thankful enough every time I come back."

Gallagher, a country singer and songwriter, first gained traction as a finalist during Season 11 of NBC's "The Voice" in 2016. Since then, he continues to pursue music in Nashville as an independent artist. His singles have amassed millions of streams across music platforms, and he often plays at Nashville's local restaurants and bars. However, his love for music started long before his move to Nashville.

Now 35, Gallagher first began his musical journey at age 10 when he got his first guitar. He taught himself to play and formed various garage bands with childhood friends. During his high school years at Penn Cambria, his love for country music remained, but he refrained from performing for crowds as he struggled with shyness. It wasn't until his peers could hear his music through the dorm room walls at Penn State Greater Allegheny that his confidence in his ability grew.

"I wish I would have known when I was younger that I could have focused a career on music," Gallagher said. After realizing college was not for him, he moved back home to Cresson and got a forklift driving job at a mining product company called J-Lok. On the weekends, he performed locally in Cresson and around the Altoona area for two years. The crowds at his shows kept growing bigger until Gallagher's true calling could no longer be ignored.

Gallagher's friend, Matt Watts, first introduced the idea of taking his talents to Tennessee. He told Gallagher that he should move to Nashville to focus solely on his music career and getting noticed. Gallagher was just dating his now-wife, Lindsey Gallagher, at the time. After talking it over with her, the couple decided to make the move in 2014 after she graduated from Penn State Altoona. When they moved, Lindsey was able to find a job at McKendree Daycare, where she is now assistant director, and Gallagher got to work making a name for himself.

After two years of performing for crowds in Nashville bars and restaurants full-time, Gallagher stumbled upon an opportunity to share his talents on national television.

"It was the weirdest thing how it happened," Gallagher said. "I was happy and having fun performing, but I wasn't progressing myself in my career like I felt I could have been." Just as he was starting to feel stagnant, Mike Peck, a friend of Gallagher's, approached him one night during a performance at The Row restaurant in Nashville. Peck had a connection with people at "The Voice" and asked Gallagher if he was interested in competing on the show.

With Gallagher's approval, Peck videoed a couple songs from his performance that night and sent them to "The Voice." Before he was done with his set, Gallagher had secured a private audition in Atlanta the next week. They liked him so much that, instead of auditioning for Season 12, they decided to enter him into an available spot for Season 11.

Finishing as a fourth-place finalist on "The Voice," Gallagher showcased his talent for the world to see. While he no longer keeps in touch with his voice coach, Adam Levine, he regularly talks with other contestants who competed on the show alongside him, including the winner, Jason "Sundance" Head.

Over the 10 years since his appearance on "The Voice," Gallagher has been working full-time as a musician, regularly playing for live audiences in Nashville and occasionally returning to Pennsylvania to hold concerts for his hometown crowd, such as the recent concert held at the Altoona Railroader's Memorial Museum.

Bill Wilkinson, a local resident who attended Gallagher's performance, enjoyed the night.

"I think it was fantastic," Wilkinson said. "They need to have more events like this around the community."

On the evening of Sept. 11, Gallagher will be visiting Portage to perform at a fundraising event, Ty Harrison's Hope for Suicide Survivors.

Between shows, Gallagher continues to write songs and has released many singles over the years.

"When it's such a singles market, logistically it doesn't make sense for me to put out an album," Gallagher said of releasing new music. "The new game now is to get something viral."

As social media becomes an increasingly important part of advertising, Gallagher is focusing on promoting his singles on platforms like Instagram and TikTok with the help of his social media manager. Building an online presence is a great way to gain a little more traction as an artist, Gallagher said, despite his aversion to relying on social media.

Gallagher has had opportunities to team up with many other country singers. In 2023, he collaborated with brothers Lewis and Lee Brice on the track "Product Of" as a lyricist, which he believes is his most prestigious achievement. He also worked with Adam Warner on songs, such as his recent release "Can't Beat That" and "Thank Country."

As a songwriter, Gallagher has written about topics that mean a lot to him. His blue-collar and military anthem "Boots Like Mine" shows appreciation for the people of America who work hard and sacrifice their lives to keep the country running. The music video, filmed entirely in Cresson, features local workers in their various professions.

He is proud of these works, but some of his favorite songs are the ones he wrote about his family. The first song Gallagher wrote for his wife, "Look At Me Now," tells the story of how his whole life changed when he met Lindsey. He sang about a future house with "three beds, two baths, and a wraparound," which is exactly the type of house they own now.

He recently released "Junkie" in July, another song dedicated to his love for Lindsey. Another one of his favorites, "Father to Father," was written for his son, Jaxon Gallagher, who is now 4 years old.

"Kids don't come with instruction manuals," Gallagher said when explaining the meaning of the song. "I was asking the Father above to help me be a good father like him."

Soon to be released, he devoted a song called "Little Lady" to his 2-year-old daughter, Lennon Gallagher.

"Oddly enough, I wrote both of those songs before each of them were born," Gallagher said. He pointed out that "Little Lady" perfectly describes Lennon's personality even though he had not met her yet.

"I don't know if I am foreshadowing my future with some of these songs," Gallagher joked.

He is glad to see his kids growing up with an interest in music. Jaxon is taking piano lessons and is already showing an interest in learning guitar and drums. He loves to sing and knows the lyrics to his father's songs. Following in her brother's footsteps, Lennon often snatches one of Gallagher's old microphones to put on her own performances.

Family has always been a big part of his career, Gallagher said, noting "I couldn't do any of this without them."

Although he describes himself as the "musical black sheep of the family," Gallagher has a team of family members who support him. While they never dabbled in music-making, his parents, Cathy and Dan Gallagher, are lovers of country music and are huge supporters of his success.

"We're all law enforcement, he went his own way, and he's still shining," Cathy said. Sandy and Dick Felix, Gallagher's aunt and uncle, run the merch tables at shows and help organize scheduling. Of course, Lindsey and their children show up to support him at his shows as well.

"Speaking from me and his dad, and the whole family, we're just so extremely proud," Cathy said.

After a dozen years of being a full-time country artist, Gallagher said he is exactly where he wants to be.

When he is not performing at bars or sharing new material at his favorite venue, the Listening Room, he can be found fishing, hunting, golfing and spending time with his kids.

"This is not where I envisioned myself being after 'The Voice' and 12 years of being in Nashville. And I say that meaning that my kids changed my life,"

Gallagher said. "My 'making it' ten years ago looked like signing a big record deal, jumping on tour buses and playing a hundred shows a year in arenas to sold out crowds," he said. "My 'made it' now looks like getting up at 5:30 every day while my wife is getting ready for work, getting the kids' lunches and breakfast ready, going to write songs, going to play downtown, and seeing my kids every day."

Gallagher will always have a drive for more, but his definition of success has evolved now that he has a family.

"All I want to do is be with my kids all the time. I get to wake up and see my wife every day," Gallagher said. "I just never thought when we moved here that I would be the happiest I've ever been without having a record label because I have my family. In my opinion, I have made it."