Stephen Wilson Jr. Unveils Cinematic ‘Gary’ Music Video Starring Award-Winning Actor Gary Sinise

Stephen Wilson Jr. has unveiled the official music video for his latest single “Gary,” starring award-winning actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13). The clip arrived Sunday, March 15, on the anniversary of the passing of a real-life teenager named Gary, whose roadside memorial inspired Wilson Jr. to write the song.

It all began when the Indiana-born singer/songwriter caught a glimpse of a young boy’s memorial one day. He started to imagine what the boy would have been like before he died and about 30 minutes later, the song had just fallen out.

Released last November, “Gary” finds Wilson Jr. putting his grungy vocals on full display as he depicts a character who often exists in the background of life, someone people don’t always notice until they stop and take a closer look. Although he doesn’t know the real Gary, he strives to put himself in his shoes and ends up taking listeners on a rollercoaster of emotions as a result.

Directed by Tim Cofield, the cinematic video brings the unique narrative to life in a real and emotional way. It opens with the singer/songwriter, dressed as a security guard, walking into a bank with his guitar in hand. The scene then shifts to the inside of a well-lived-in home, where Gary, a veteran whose full government name is “Gary Buchanan III,” resides. We see him quietly going about his life, fixing cars, helping neighbors with plumbing, and refusing payment for his work, despite the fact that he is clearly not well off financially.

Frustrated by the way things have turned out for him, Gary later returns to the bank intending to rob it. He threatens the teller, but Wilson Jr. keeps playing through it all, even unfazed by the lighter Gary flashes in his face. After taking the cash, Gary makes a surprising stop to fill Wilson Jr.’s gas tank. This becomes the first glimpse into the true reason behind his crime. We quickly learn that it wasn’t a selfish act to rob the bank, but instead a chance to give back to those struggling around him.

The video reveals his true motive as he drives through his under-resourced neighborhood, with a big smile on his face while throwing money out the window for members of his community to collect. Back home he appears proud of his actions, but the emotions really set in from the viewers’ perspective when he collapses on the floor just as police arrive.

This powerful portrayal of the song taps into the true emotion that Wilson Jr. was trying to convey when the idea for the story first came to him. As a former scientist, he started to envision “Gary” as an “endangered species,” noting how people of his kind nature don’t exist much in today’s world. He paired this idea with a melody that evokes sadness and tragedy, resulting in an incredibly powerful and well-thought-out delivery.

Along with the arrival of the new video, Wilson Jr. also offered a taxonomic analysis of this type of person, saying, “(Garis mechanicus) Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata…- a dying breed, endangered species of fixer. dwelling naturally in a habitat of grease, oil & stereo static. drawn to the roar of 8 cylinders firing in perfect unison or the sound of restricted PVC stably flowing once again. a fixer by nature – born into a broken world. may he run once again.”

The star of the video, Gary Sinise added a statement, revealing why he felt drawn to be a part of sharing the story in this raw format.

“I heard Stephen’s song and loved it. Two weeks later he reached out to me to be in the video. He’s got a great team, a great song and it was a blast to work with them all on the video. And you know….there aint a lotta boys named Gary these days,” he shared.

“Gary” marks the Nashville-based rising star’s first single at County Radio and is currently at No.40 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and it served as a follow-up to debut double album søn of dad.

Arriving on the heels of the music video drop, Stephen Wilson Jr. also announced the second leg of his Gary The Torch Tour. The completely sold-out run kicked off earlier this month and will now feature stops across the West Coast and Southeast, including a show in his hometown of Nashville TN at The Truth on December 11, 2026.

The extended tour will also take him on string of EU/UK dates that will kick off on October 15 in Belfast, Ireland and make stops in London, Paris, Copenhagen, Oslo and more.  

Pre-sale signup for US the EU/UK tour is available now, with general on-sale beginning this Friday, March 20, at 10:00 am local time. 

Additionally, Wilson Jr. will serve as support for Dave Matthews Band on September 4 at the Gorge Amphitheater and Brandi Carlile on September 11-13 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

2026 Tour Dates:

3/18 – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues # SOLD OUT
3/21 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount # SOLD OUT
3/22 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre # SOLD OUT
3/25 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore # SOLD OUT
3/28 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore # SOLD OUT
4/11 – Bossier City, LA – The Paradise Theater at Margaritaville Bossier City # SOLD OUT
4/15 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant # SOLD OUT
4/17 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre # SOLD OUT
4/18 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom # SOLD OUT
4/22 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha # SOLD OUT
4/24 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee # SOLD OUT
4/25 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed # SOLD OUT
6/4 – Nashville, TN – CMA Fest (Chevy Riverfront Stage) *
6/6 – Lexington, KY – Railbird Music Festival *
6/7 – Nashville, TN – CMA Fest (LP Field) *
6/30 – Dublin, IE – Summer Series
7/10 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Yacht Club Festival *
7/11 – Winnipeg, MB – Winnipeg Folk Festival *
7/17 – Spokane, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest #
7/18 – Whitefish, MT – Under the Big Sky Festival *
7/23 – Floyd, VA – FloydFest *
7/24 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Dome by Rutter Mills #
7/25 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavilion #
8/7 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre #
8/8 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater #
9/4 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre ^
9/6 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium #
9/11–9/13 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre %
9/18 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre #
9/19 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Grand Lodge (Concerts in the Grove) #
9/22 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater #
9/24 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic #
9/29 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre #
10/15 – Belfast, UK – SSE Arena #
10/17 – Sligo, IE – Sligo Live Festival *
10/19 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow #
10/22 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton #
10/23 – Bristol, UK – The Prospect Building #
10/25 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse #
10/27 – Paris, FR – Le Trianon #
10/29 – Zurich, CH – Volkshaus #
10/30 – Cologne, DE – Theater am Tanzbrunnen #
11/1 – Utrecht, NL – TivoliVredenburg (Ronda) #
11/3 – Copenhagen, DK – VEGA #
11/4 – Stockholm, SE – Fållan #
11/5 – Oslo, NO – Sentrum Scene #
11/20–11/22 – St. Petersburg, FL – St. Pete Country Fest *
11/21 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company #
12/2 – Pittsburgh, PA – Citizens Live at The Wylie #
12/9 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy #
12/11 – Nashville, TN – The Truth #

* Festival
 # Gary The Torch Tour
 ^ Supporting Dave Matthews Band
 % Supporting Brandi Carlile