Honky Tonks, Heartfelt Songs & Hot Dogs: The Story of Tulsa Songwriter Jack Brassfield

If you've ever strolled through downtown Tulsa and caught the sound of a live guitar drifting out of Jack’s Coney Island at lunchtime, you’ve probably been closer than you realized to one of the region’s most quietly prolific songwriters.

Jack Brassfield has been writing songs since 1999, and though you may not know his name off the top of your head. There is a good chance you’ve heard something he's written on country radio, in local bars, or even at a national political event.

“I got signed to a publishing deal with Songs For The Planet out of Nashville back when you could still walk down Music Row and knock on doors,” Jack said. “They’d actually answer. That’s how it happened for me.”

That first big moment didn’t lead straight to fame, though. In fact, the song that originally got him signed didn’t get picked up by an artist until 2024. “It took 25 years,” Jack said. “But you just keep writing. I’ve turned in hundreds of songs since then.”

Over the years, Jack penned jingles, commercial cuts, and deeply personal country tracks. He’s written with hitmakers like Jake Kelly, Justin Peters, Jan Buckingham, and Braden Jamison, an Oklahoma native now working in Nashville under Brad Paisley’s Seagayle Publishing. Braden recently released Jack’s song “Making It Up As I Go,” and another track, “Life Goes On,” was cut by Gabe Choate.

Jack’s not out to be a frontman—but sometimes the spotlight finds you. In 2024, his patriotic song “America Come Together” landed him a performance at the Republican Brunch during a Midwest inauguration event. “I actually wrote it for another artist, but he couldn’t get everything signed in time, so I stepped in,” Jack explained. “That wasn’t supposed to be my gig, but there I was.”

He also had a recent surprise honor in 2025 when the Eagles Foundation out of Atlanta adopted one of his songs as their official anthem. “They made me an Eagle,” he said. “It was a big deal.”

Despite these achievements, Jack’s still most comfortable with a notebook, an acoustic guitar, and a dive bar crowd. “Honky tonk, beer-drinking country music. Crying-in-your-beer tears music,” he said. “Put me on a stage with one stool and one guitar in the darkest beer bar in town. That’s where I like to be.”

Jack’s song “Stop the World from Spinning” recently hit number 9 on Country Internet Radio, and he’s got two new tracks set to release this summer, including one titled “Rocky Mountain High.” That one came from a phone call with a friend going through heartbreak. “His girlfriend was about to leave him, and he wanted to do something to keep her,” Jack said. “It was a rough night that turned into a beautiful song.”

When he’s not writing, you can find him behind the counter at Jack’s Coney Island, a hot dog joint at 5th and Main in Tulsa that also happens to be one of the best live music lunch spots in town. “We’ve got a live performer every Monday through Friday from 11 to 2,” he said. “We’ve built something here that feels Nashville-like. I like giving local artists a place to play.”

Jack’s love for songwriting runs in the family. His son, Jackson Ray, is also carving out a name for himself in the Texas country scene, with three songs currently on the Texas Country Radio charts. The two have even co-written a track together titled “Danger.” Jackson performs regularly, including sets on the rooftop patio of the historic May Hotel, carrying on the Brassfield tradition of honest, roots-driven country music.

For Jack, music has always been about meaning. “Real life is what influences me. It has to mean something to me,” he said. “I believe it when Merle Haggard says it. That’s what I’m chasing.”

He’s the kind of writer who still starts with pen and paper, with half-finished songs scattered across his desk. And if one lyric stalls, he moves on to the next idea with no drama, no pressure. Just a lifetime of stories waiting to be sung.

“If my song helps one person or makes one person smile,” Jack said, “we’ve accomplished something.”

Keep up with more of the local music scene via Loud and Heavy Booking.