Texas singer, songwriter, and band leader Sam Platts grew up in southern Wyoming, listening to music while driving around his grandfather’s ranch and cultivating a passion for traditional country music. His father, Scott, is a luthier and skilled guitar player himself, which inspired Sam to learn to play. He first stepped on the bus with a touring country act in his early 20’s, and the rest is history. Sam later played lead guitar for Wylie and the Wild West, which took him all over the country and world. Sam’s songwriting is inspired by his roots in the West, traditional country, and Texas dancehalls. Sam’s wife, Lilly, has played fiddle in the band for the last decade, and the couple is currently preparing to release Sam’s full-length album Right Where I Belong, in early 2026.

Lilly Platts, who has been in Sam’s band for 10 years, grew up in a ranching family in southwest Montana. She started playing fiddle at the age of four, and has remained focused on Texas style and western swing playing. Lilly has won numerous competitions, including the adult division at the Bob Wills Fiddle Festival in Greenville, Texas, and the Montana State Open championship. She started with Sam’s band by filling in during her time at Montana State University, eventually becoming a full-time member. A few years into being a member of the band she and Sam started dating. They eventually got married in Elko, Nevada, during the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Lilly has since stepped in to fill many roles for the group, handling the behind-the-scenes tasks, in addition to playing fiddle. In addition to music, she stays connected to her roots in ranching through her work as managing editor for a cattle breed association, and as a freelance writer. She writes a column for the Western Ag Reporter called In the Swing of Things, which can be read here.