Upstate Beat: Fast-rising Pickens performer Luke Deuce was born to sing country music

A word of advice: Pickens country singer-songwriter Luke Deuce is playing at Smiley’s Acoustic Café in downtown Greenville on May 19. You’re going to want to be there, because it might be the last time you get to see Luke on a small stage. Though he’s not even out of high school yet (he graduates next month), Deuce is on the kind of career track that few country performers can even dream of.

Once a month, when he’s not playing shows around town, Deuce and his manager father, Dan’l Brazinski, travel out to Nashville to collaborate with some of the biggest names in the music business. In the last few years alone, Deuce has worked with Nick Nichols, a songwriter and performer who’s pitched songs to Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Micky Guyton, Brett Eldredge, Jason Aldean, Alan Jackson, Trace Adkins, George Strait, Wynona Judd, Travis Tritt, Ronnie Milsap and Tricia Yearwood, among others.

And recently, Deuce has been writing songs with Keith Stegall, a producer and songwriter who’s had hits with Alan Jackson, George Jones, Zac Brown Band and Clay Walker. It’s been something of a whirlwind for the Pickens County teenager.

“For me, it’s really hard to explain,” Deuce says. “I’ve had a few guys say that where I’m at right now is bigger than winning (the TV talent show) ‘The Voice,’ and really, at my stage I’m just grateful to be there writing with (Keith). It’s really humbling. I’m really grateful for what I’ve been given.”

Deuce’s profile continues to rise, with a recent profile from “Nashville Voyager” magazine and an appearance on “Country Countdown’s” “New Music Friday” list.

Luke Deuce goes all in

One listen to Deuce’s music and you’ll know immediately why such big industry heavyweights want to work with him. Luke Deuce might be a teenager still, but his warm burr of a voice will bring to mind classic country crooners like George Strait and Alan Jackson. And his recent single, “Country Music Isn’t Country Anymore,” is a sort of manifesto that firmly puts Deuce in the pure country category, no pop needed.

“I stand for classic country,” he says. “I’m not the biggest fan of pop country. I like anything from the ‘50s up to the ‘90s — that is my wheelhouse. That’s what I love. I tend to stick to that when songwriting as well. People can agree with it or not. That’s their opinion.”

Deuce has loved classic country music since he was around four years old, and he’s been playing shows for more than a decade, but it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that he decided to make music his profession, not just a dream.

“I’d probably say I was in about 10th grade,” he says. “I had to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. It was between music or McDonald’s, and I said, ‘Well, I think music’s gonna be a lot more fun than the fast-food industry,’ and from there I really just fell in love with it. I’m glad I made this choice.”

Deuce has released a string of successful singles over the past year, and he says he’s got plenty of new material to come.

“We’ve got nine songs we’re working on right now, and some of them will have Marvin King on them,” Deuce says, referring to the guitarist and father of the young Greenville-born blues phenom Marcus King. “We have not yet decided if we want it to be an album or if we want to release it as an EP or if we just want to do them all as singles.”

In the meantime, Deuce will continue kicking out the honky-tonk jams wherever he can. He played 140 shows last year, and 2023 is looking just as busy — once he graduates high school, that is.

“Whether it’s on a stage or in a small bar, playing music is really what I want to do,” he says. “I believe that God gave me a gift to sing, and I really want to share that with people. I just want to enjoy what I’m doing and enjoy the journey.”