On October 17, Jonathan Wyndham will release his new album Middle Class & Infamous, a collection of songs that capture both the resilience and the raw honesty of a working musician stepping into his own. From its first track to its last, the record is a portrait of an artist choosing to stop playing it safe and start telling his own story. With Wyndham producing the record on his own and playing nearly every instrument, the album stands as an even more intimate and authentic reflection of his artistry.
The title came from an unlikely place: Wyndham’s friend, Jeff, who works at the local liquor store. “Jeff, looked up at me one day and said, ‘You rich and famous yet or still middle class and infamous?’ I laughed and told him, ‘Man, I think you just named my record,” Wyndham recalls. “The longer I sat with it, the truer it felt.” That truth threads through the album’s ten songs, balancing moments of grief and heartbreak with glimpses of hope and determination.
“The Last Time” was written in the aftermath of losing his best friend in a car accident, the kind of song Wyndham says he wishes he never had to write. “Numb” was born at three in the morning after hearing a close friend had overdosed. “Make A Difference” was sparked when an old friend from The Voice told him that his only goal for the next five years was simply to ‘make a difference’. Each track is rooted in a moment that demanded to be captured, processed, and shared.
The recording process was just as intentional. Some songs were built layer by layer with trusted collaborators, while others came to life in a single take. Wyndham kept imperfections that carried honesty. “The Last Time” still includes the sound of him setting his guitar pick down at the end.
Musically, Middle Class & Infamous builds on the foundation of Wyndham’s debut Nashville Rock & Soul, Vol. 1. Where that first record captured the energy of a dream live set, this new album is a refinement, a deeper vocabulary, a stripped-down clarity, and songs built to resonate whether you’re on a morning run or wrestling with heartbreak. “Every choice was in service of the songs,” Wyndham explains. “If it didn’t serve the message of the song, it got left out.”
For Wyndham, this release is more than just a record, it’s a commitment. After spending his 20’s touring with & musical directing for artists like Colbie Caillat and Jessie James Decker, he made the decision earlier this year to step away from those roles and invest fully in himself as an artist.
“This is my flag in the sand, “I’m not dipping my toe in the water, I’m diving in” artist record. I’m in. I’ve ditched the sideman safety net, I’m whole heartedly taking these tunes to where they deserve to go.” He continues to write and produce for other artists, but this record marks the moment he puts equal weight behind his own voice.“This is the last record I will ever produce while playing for another artist, leaving my Musical Director position withColbie Caillatthis past April to put both feet into the proverbial ring as an artist. I love other people’s music, and helping them find their sound and be the best they can be, but I can’t wake up in a decade to realize I haven’t done what I’ve been given the tools to do, which is take this music to the world” Wyndham states.
Wyndham has already carved out an impressive career: a Gibson endorsed guitarist, his work has been featured by ESPN, the NFL Network, and NBA 2K21. He’s toured the world, performed at the Opry, and earned the trust of Grammy-winning artists. But Middle Class & Infamous is the moment he steps forward without a safety net, a record that represents both who he is and where he’s going.
“These songs are my launching point,” Wyndham says. “If I’m going to leave my boys at home and get on a plane, it must be for something worth building. This record is that.”
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