Why Caden Glover chose home over Nashville

By Lauren Rodgers, RealWV

22-year old musician Caden Glover is a born-and-raised West Virginian building a successful music career in the mountain state. A Monroe County native, Glover’s music is gaining a sprawling reach— he was a contestant on American Idol, has been featured on Radio West Virginia, has played at Wild Trails Festival and Norman’s Rare Guitars in Los Angeles. Though his music is rooted in traditional bluegrass, his sound is influenced by classic country and jazz, finished off by his signature vocal twang. 

Glover’s venture into music began on a limb. At age 11, he wanted to learn an instrument, buying an inexpensive banjo from Alpha Music in Lewisburg with no prior musical experience. He taught himself to play by watching old videos of bluegrass pioneer Earl Scruggs, whose style Glover familiarized himself with and taught himself on. At age 13, he expanded into playing the acoustic guitar, carrying the bluegrass roots he learned on banjo into a new musical medium. As he continued playing and improving, what initially began as a random interest began to transform into Glover’s passion, and eventually became a part of his livelihood. 

As a high school student, he started picking up gigs at local bars. When he noticed that he had a fully-booked schedule by his senior year of high school, it became clear that attending college wasn’t aligned with his aspirations. With a steady income from gigging, as well as working on local farms, Glover diverted from a typical college path and instead acquired his plumbing license. “I was playing music and making enough to eat on, so that was good enough for me,” he says. His flexible outlook has proven successful for him— not only has he maintained consistent booking since high school, he’s continuously booked larger shows and expanded his audience across the Appalachian region.

Though he once considered pursuing music in Nashville, Tennessee, Glover’s decision to base his music career in West Virginia is an intentional one. Many of his peers in the industry work out of Nashville, but Caden is uninterested in moving to the country music capital. “I have a bunch of friends in Nashville, and I was dead set on moving there after high school,” said Glover, “But I quickly realized that I don’t fit in with those guys— Nashville is more centered on mainstream country music. With my bluegrass background, I’ve found my audience playing around West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, and even other parts of Tennessee.”

Outside of the musical opportunity he’s found in West Virginia, Caden’s disinterest in moving to Nashville also stems from his deep love for West Virginia’s outdoors. Raised on a farm in Monroe County, his love for being outside comes naturally to him. “The outdoors here are hard to pass up. A huge part of what keeps me glued here is the atmosphere, the mountains. Also, I love to fish, and I can fish anytime out here. Our state is so rich in so many ways— it’d be hard to leave.”

Caden hasn’t stopped playing since he picked up the banjo 11 years ago, and he has no intentions of putting it down. He’s currently working on his next album, which he’s recording at a friend’s studio in Peterstown, and is aiming to release the album this fall. Before then, you can catch Glover’s set at the State Fair of West Virginia on August 13th. There’s a bright career blossoming for Glover— one that has its roots here in the mountain state.