Country Musician Retires From the Road: ‘My Family Needs Me at Home’

Country musician Brandon Aksteter is stepping away from life as a musician on the road.

Aksteter, who’s spent the last several years as a touring member of Jackson Dean’s band, playing guitar and providing background vocals, recently announced on social media that he’s stepping away from the road. Earlier this month, he shared his message to his Instagram followers.

“Last weekend, I played my last shows as part of the Jackson Dean touring band. Thank you to (Jackson Dean) for the belief in me, the friendship, the memories, and the miles,” Aksteter wrote. “I achieved my dream. Now, it’s time to dedicate myself to another dream here at home.”

In a series of photos that accompanied the post, including one of Aksteter on stage at the famed Grand Ole Opry, the guitarist revealed that he is set to become a father.

“In a few weeks, I’ll become a father,” Aksteter said via his IG. “And as much as I love this life on the road, my family needs me at home.

“ … Thanks to Jackson and so many others, my dreams as an 11-year-old kid became reality.”

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Brandon’s wife, Kayla Aksteter, previously announced that the couple was expecting a baby boy in November. She, too, made the announcement on Instagram.

Aksteter is leaving the band in the midst of a lengthy tour that’s continuing with more than 25 tour stops throughout the end of this year, including a pair of dates this weekend in Georgia and North Carolina. The tour will pause in mid-December and pick up again in February. Then in March, the band is scheduled for three dates overseas.

When he’s not changing diapers or touring, it would seem likely that Aksteter would devote any free time to his business outside of music. He’s the owner of West Elvira Trading Co., an online art gallery that is described as “photography by the people behind the music.”