Meet Southern Soul Singer 803Fresh – The Man Behind Hit Single “Boots on the Ground”

Have you learned the “Boots on the Ground” dance yet?  You better.  The hit single and the dance have swept the country because of one man: Meet 803Fresh, also known as Dougie Furtick. 

A House Full of Love and Music

803 is the area code of Dougie’s home state of South Carolina, where he pays homage to, and the Fresh pays homage to 80s rap legend Doug E. Fresh. 

The singer says his home was filled with music, and his parents’ love of the Southern Blues—his mom loved the blues, and his dad was deeply into Gospel—contributed to his love of the genre.

“We come from a strong Gospel and blues base. I just merged the two,” he said to Rickey Smiley on his morning show.

The Southern Soul singer already had a few singles out, but, “Boots on the Ground” propelled the singer into superstardom.

The song has become an anthem and a call for all of us to have a good time and have some fun.

Furtick talked about how the song came about in several interviews. 

“I went to my first trail ride and some of the line dancers had fans. But when I went to my second ride, nobody had fans. So I looked around like, ‘Where them fans at?’ Boots on the ground is already a line dance term in the South, so I put the two together — and it just made magic. I didn’t think the song would take off the way it did, but it’s definitely been a blessing.”

Folks around the country are seen at weddings, family reunions, and even church events with boots on and fans out. The singer also recently released a video to accompany the single.

Meet The “Boots on The Ground” Singer

Even Beyoncé sang the song at one of her concerts recently. 

“My heart is overwhelmed,” he told Smiley when asked how it feels to get that kind of love. “To have names like that even mention me or my music—it’s unreal.”

The song was even recently honored by the South Carolina State House, and he was invited by the Pinellas County Urban League to perform it at one of their events in Tampa, Florida, back in June.

“This event is about more than music — it’s an anthem to the movement in celebration of culture, connection, and the power of the collective,” said Nikki Gaskin-Capehart, President & CEO of the Pinellas County Urban League. “We’re so excited to welcome 803 Fresh to St. Pete and the Tampa Bay region and look forward to an unforgettable night.”

What Is Southern Blues?

Unless you are a huge fan of Southern Blues, you may not be familiar with this type of music, so 803 Fresh has broken through the mainstream music scene with his hit, bringing it to a new audience who are now being introduced to this kind of music for the first time. 

Many R&B stations around the country, especially in the Southern US, set aside a few hours on the weekend to play Southern Blues. 

As for the artist, he’s just enjoying the ride and living out his dream on stage. 

“Just keep showing love,” he said. “I appreciate it all.”