Hailing from Mobile, Alabama, The Red Clay Strays – Brandon Coleman (lead vocals, guitar), Drew Nix (guitar and vocals), Zach Rishel (guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), John Hall (drums), bonded as young, working-class men raised on Lynyrd Skynyrd riffs.
Anchored by Coleman, whose voice channels country gold and old-school rock ‘n’ roll soul, the Strays cut their teeth with gigs on sticky barroom floors. After meeting while touring with Elle King in 2023, Sevans Henderson, an Oklahoma native, joined the band on the road to play keys in February 2024.
With a sound straddling fiery Southern rock riffs, tender-hearted soul music, and tried-and-true country crooning, the Strays rose from backroad Gulf Coast gigs to become one of the most sought-after acts in country and rock circles. The band self-released their debut album, Moment of Truth, in 2022, featuring a handful of what quickly became staple songs for the band: 'Stone’s Throw', 'Do Me Wrong' and 'Wondering Why' among others. 'Wondering Why' gained viral attention, propelling into the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart and inside the top 20 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. The album also helped earn the band the win for ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ at the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards.
The success of Moment of Truth led to the Strays inking a deal with RCA Records and enlisting Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb – known for his work with Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, and more – to produce their latest studio album, Made by These Moments. Cut at Cobb’s home studio in Savannah, Georgia, the 11-track album is packed with songs like 'Wanna Be Loved', 'Drowning', 'No One Else Like Me' and more with the power to pull listeners from couches and long commutes to feel like they’re sitting next to the band at a rowdy recording session.
Receiving universal acclaim upon release, Made by These Moments marked the band’s first entry in the Billboard 200 and bowing in the top 10 of the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, with NPR praising the record as “a haunting callback to classic outlaw country with a rock ‘n’ roll edge,” while Rolling Stone heralded it as “refreshingly muscular and redemptively soulful.” The group made their television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with additional performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS Saturday Morning, and NPR’s Tiny Desk. The band also earned their first CMA nomination for ‘Vocal Group Of The Year’ and took home a Billboard Music Award for ‘Top Country Group.’
The band celebrated the release of Made by These Moments by taking the project on the road with their sold-out These Moments Tour bringing their magnetic live show across the globe with festival stops at Austin City Limits and Railbird Music Festival as well as a three-night headline debut at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, during which they recorded their first live album, Live At The Ryman. Declared by American Songwriter as “one of the buzziest bands in the land,” this year the Strays keep the hits coming with a sold-out show at Red Rocks, festival appearances at Bonnaroo and Under The Big Sky, and a homecoming lap of three nights headlining The Wharf in Alabama.
