The GRAMMY® award-winning group, The SteelDrivers, kick off their summer tour this weekend with a sold-out show in York, South Carolina. Today, they announced new tour dates through the end of the year, including stops in Washington, D.C., Charleston, Houston, Dallas and more. They will also return to the country's biggest bluegrass festivals, such as Rudy Fest, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival and Deep Roots Mountain Festival, to name a few. Banjo player Richard Bailey is the featured musician for the Country Music Hall of Fame's Musician Spotlight on May 7 in Nashville. More information is available here.
Earlier this week, The SteelDrivers joined Rodney Crowell, Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley, Gabe Dixon and more at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium for "The Stars Salute Saint Bernard Academy" benefit concert. The innovative, soulful bluegrass band - made up of Tammy Rogers, Gary Nichols, Mike Fleming, Brent Truitt, and Richard Bailey - reached an important milestone earlier this year when their self-titled debut album reached 100,000 scans and was re-released on vinyl. Their 2015 release, The Muscle Shoals Recordings, reached #1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Chart and achieved the highest first-week sales in band history. 2016 was a record year for The SteelDrivers, who won the 2016 GRAMMY® for “Best Bluegrass Album," received IBMA nominations for “Album of the Year” and “Song of the Year" for "Long Way Down," which also reached #1 on the Bluegrass Today monthly chart. The SteelDrivers continue to tour across the country and spend time in the studio for their upcoming project.
Fans and critics alike praise The SteelDrivers in concert:
"Gary Nichols sang with the fervent conviction of a Southern soul man. His passionate roar on “Good Corn Liquor” evoked the frenzied style of Wilson Pickett." - Bill Brownlee, Kansas City Star
“These guys helped me be a better musician. They’re a great bunch of mentors, and I’m not gonna lie, I was tearing up back stage when we were rehearsing for this." - Chris Stapleton after performing with The SteelDrivers at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium
“Nichols has one of the most soulful voices in contemporary bluegrass” – Juli Thanki, The Tennessean
“The boundaries between bluegrass and soul-blues music are thin when they exist at all.” - Walter Tunis, Lexington Herald Leader
“Impeccable instrumental work, powerful vocals and songwriting that demonstrates that simply told stories can be powerful.” - David Morris, Bluegrass Today
“You can call it power-bluegrass or country soul, but whatever you call it, Nashville's SteelDrivers have bushels of it.” - AD Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer
Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/back-to-rockville/article60211411.html#storylink=cpy
NEWLY ADDED TOUR DATES:
August 12 Huntsville, AL TICKETS
August 19 Franklin, OH TICKETS
August 25 Boulder, CO TICKETS
August 26 Bellvue, CO TICKETS
September 22 Washington, D.C. TICKETS
September 23 Amesbury, MA TICKETS
September 28 West Lafayette, IN TICKETS
September 29 Bloomington, IL TICKETS
October 6 Clinton, TN TICKETS
October 7 Athens, GA TICKETS
November 9 Charleston, SC TICKETS
November 10 Breman, GA TICKETS
November 11 McMinnville, TN TICKETS
November 16 Houston, TX TICKETS
November 18 Dallas, TX TICKETS
December 31 Hickory, NC TICKETS
See the complete list of dates here.