The Arizona country artist has spent years putting in the miles, playing hundreds of shows, releasing original music, sharing some pretty incredible stages and building a career one crowd at a time.
But when you really get to know Matt’s story, you quickly realize the music is only part of it.
His journey is rooted in family, perseverance, hard work, Arizona country music and giving back to the people around him.
And that is exactly the kind of story we love sharing at AZDCMA.
For Matt, country music started long before there were stages, radio charts or tour dates.
Growing up in Lake Havasu City, his mom, Sandra, skipped the traditional lullabies and sang him classic country songs instead. Before long, music became something the entire family shared.
Matt eventually performed alongside his father, Jeff, on bass and his grandfather, Tom, on drums — three generations making music together.
And these days, that family tradition is still going strong, with Matt’s own children occasionally joining him on stage.
Before music became his full-time career, Matt was headed down a very different path. After high school, he attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff before moving to Phoenix, where he became an EMT and completed firefighter training through Glendale Community College.
All the while, music kept calling.
Matt’s story also includes a moment that could have changed the course of his life completely.
During an altercation involving men attempting to steal his father’s truck, a gun was fired. Matt’s father stepped in front of him, and the bullet passed through his father before striking Matt.
Thankfully, both survived.
An experience like that has a way of putting everything into perspective — family, life, time and what you choose to do with all of it.
For Matt, music remained part of the answer.
He returned to performing throughout the Phoenix area and in 2010 entered the Colgate Country Showdown, eventually advancing to the Arizona State Finals.
From there, the road got a whole lot bigger.
In late 2011, Matt connected with producer Frank Green of Skytone Entertainment, helping launch the next chapter of his recording career.
His single “Redneck Radio” became a major breakthrough, reaching #56 on the Billboard Indicator chart, #38 on the MusicRow chart and #1 on the IndieWorld Country chart, where it remained for four consecutive weeks.
The follow-up single, “Resident Redneck,” continued building momentum and earned a nomination for New Music Weekly’s New Music Country Single of the Year.
Even CMT got involved when cast members from My Big Redneck Family appeared wearing Matt Farris shirts during an episode in 2014.
Since then, songs including “She’s Done,” “Me or the Whiskey,” “One Night Stand” and “Truck for Sale” have helped Matt continue expanding his audience.
Over the course of his career, Matt has had seven songs chart on the Billboard Indicator charts and nine songs chart on independent country radio charts, with both “One Night Stand” and “Truck for Sale” also reaching the Top 20 on iTunes.
Not bad for a Lake Havasu kid who grew up listening to country songs with his mom.
One thing about Matt — he doesn’t seem very interested in slowing down.
His self-titled 2013 album featured 12 tracks, followed by the 2019 album Keepin’ It Real, which included collaborations with Trailer Choir, Carter’s Chord and fellow Arizona artist Josh Roy.
In 2020, Matt stepped outside the traditional country lane and teamed up with The Voice Season 18 artist Darious Lyles, also known as D. Lylez, for “We Need Love,” bringing country and R&B together around a message of unity.
His more recent releases include:
“HomeTown” featuring Bigg Vinny, “One Night Stand,” “I’m the Man for the Job,” “Dirty Little Whisper,” “Get Go,” “Stay Right Here With You,” “Truck for Sale,” “Time to Shine” and his July 2026 release, “Start Again.”
And 2026 brought another pretty exciting accomplishment.
“Truck for Sale” was named a 2026 Josie Music Awards nominee for Song of the Year – Country Male, Division B.
Recorded music may tell part of Matt’s story.
But live music is where he has built his reputation.
Matt has spent years playing close to 300 performances annually, and that kind of schedule tells you everything you need to know about his work ethic.
Over the years, he has shared stages and event bills with artists including Trace Adkins, Easton Corbin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lonestar, Dwight Yoakam, Darryl Worley, Colt Ford, Jason Aldean, Tyler Farr, Joe Diffie, Blake Shelton, Chris Janson, Brett Eldredge, Chris Young, Cassadee Pope and Jake Owen, among others.
He has also performed at Country Thunder Arizona, including appearances on stages alongside some of country music’s biggest names.
More recently, Matt has become a familiar face at Ole Red Las Vegas, the Blake Shelton-inspired venue where he continues to perform regularly.
His schedule still brings him home to Arizona, too, with shows across the state alongside his Las Vegas dates and other stops.
For Matt, it has always been about the live show.
Show up.
Connect with the crowd.
Give them everything you have.
Then wake up and do it all over again.
That’s the life of a working country artist.
As impressive as the music career is, there is another part of Matt’s story that tells you even more about who he is.
Denise’s Day.
After losing his friend Denise Madrid to cancer, Matt and several of his high school friends came together to help keep her memory alive while supporting families in their hometown facing cancer.
What started in Lake Havasu City in 2010 has grown into a long-running community tradition.
And according to updated information Matt shared with AZDCMA, Denise’s Day has now raised more than $500,000 for families throughout Lake Havasu City and the surrounding community.
Even better?
The money raised goes directly to local families battling cancer.
Matt continues to perform for and support the organization he helped create, and Denise’s Day is far from his only experience giving back.
Throughout his career, he has also supported organizations including Make-A-Wish, Dreams and Wishes Tennessee and the American Cancer Society.
At AZDCMA, we talk all the time about building a stronger country music community.
This is what that looks like.
Music gives an artist a platform.
What they choose to do with that platform says a whole lot about the person standing behind the microphone.
Matt has repeatedly chosen to use his to help somebody else.
Apparently playing hundreds of shows a year wasn’t enough to keep him busy.
Matt has also started exploring another side of the entertainment world: acting.
His acting profile lists work as an actor, music artist and stunt performer, including the role of Cowboy in the film Redemption and the role of Ico in One Night Under Vegas.
Music stages, movie sets… at this point, we’re just curious what he decides to do next.
Although when Matt isn’t on the road, in the studio or working on another creative project, life looks a little different.
He’s back home with Evelyn and their five kids — Zander, Scarlett, Cash, Azraela and Adeline — tending to their mini ranch, farming and enjoying the family life that keeps him grounded when the stage lights go off.
For someone whose career keeps him constantly moving, home and family remain a huge part of the story.
And honestly, between hundreds of shows, recording new music, acting, farming and helping run a mini ranch with five kids… we’re not entirely sure when Matt sleeps.
There are plenty of numbers attached to Matt Farris’ career.
Hundreds of shows.
Charting singles.
Albums.
Major stages.
National artists.
And more than half a million dollars raised through Denise’s Day.
But those numbers aren’t really what makes his story special.
It started with a mom singing country songs to her son.
It became three generations of a family playing music together.
And today, family continues to sit right at the center of Matt’s world with Evelyn, Zander, Scarlett, Cash, Azraela and Adeline by his side.
His journey survived a moment that could have ended very differently. It carried him from Lake Havasu City to Nashville, radio charts, festival stages, Las Vegas and beyond.
And through every chapter, Matt has continued coming back to the things that mattered from the beginning: family, music, community and Arizona.
That is a side of country music we believe deserves to be celebrated.
The artists who put in the miles.
The artists who keep showing up.
And especially the artists who remember that success means even more when you can use it to help somebody else along the way.
AZ Desert Country Music Association is proud to have Matt Farris as an AZDCMA Member Artist, and we can’t wait to see where the next song, next stage, next movie set — or maybe even the next adventure on the Farris family ranch — takes him.
Want to hear more?
Check out Matt’s latest music, tour dates, videos and upcoming appearances through his official website and social media channels — and if you see his name on a stage near you, go support Arizona country music live.
Because that’s how we keep building the country music community right here at home.
