Justin Haigh has made a long journey in a relatively short period of time. Born in South Dakota and raised on his parents ranch, Justin has a long history with the cattle industry. From the early age of four, Justin spent countless hours in the saddle on his trusted pony “Lonesome” riding with his family checking pastures and fixing fences.
Prior to his love for horses, Justin had memorized the words to the great Waylon Jennings song, “Luckenbach, Texas” and Tom T. Hall’s, “I Love.” It was obvious after watching home videos recorded by Justin’s father, that his life in the spotlight was not far away.
In school, Justin discovered that academics and ballgames were not his forte, but music, music made sense. Putting out the minimum effort through school, he barely squeezed by. Justin balanced his out of school time between ranch responsibilities, playing music, and being as wild as he knew how to be.
At thirteen, on a dare from a girl, Justin made his way to the stage of a fiddler’s jamboree. After this performance, he and his hometown knew he was where he was meant to be. Justin continued through high school playing weekend gigs at VFW Halls and honky tonk venues, but a stronger urge was calling him.
Justin enlisted in the U.S Air Force upon graduation from high school. With a strong love for the ideals our forefathers gave us, and the unbelievable sacrifices of service men and women of our nation, Justin knew he had to do his part.
He landed at Lackland Air Force Base, located in San Antonio and got his first taste of the state that he would eventually call “home.” This chapter of his life was not meant to be and his time in the military was short lived.
His wild side was beginning to develop and Justin soon found himself before his commanding officer receiving punishment for an incident involving a fight and a life of excesses. These punishments lead to a general discharge from the service.
Crushed and embarrassed, Justin returned to what he loved the most which was his family, the ranch, and music. Though he wasn’t pursuing music full time, Justin’s experiences were grooming him for a life on the road as a professional performer.
“I did time, lot’s of time, time behind the wheel of my eighteen wheeler, time aboard a ship in the Bering Sea, isolated from the outside world, hard time in turbulent relationships, and even some time behind bars,” Justin says.
“You have to put in your time if you want to be successful. I’ve done the time. I’ve lived the songs. There is no ‘bullshit’ about me and you can hear it when I sing you the stories.”Finally realizing that playing music full time and living in Texas were the two things he should have been doing all along, Justin packed everything he owned and moved to Brady, Texas.
“There is a feeling in Texas like no other place. I moved here and hardly knew a soul. But the people are friendly, the climate is good, the food is incredible, and I have a feeling I won’t be moving anywhere, soon.
I Ain’t Leavin’!"
