Hailing from Mobile, Alabama, The Red Clay Strays – Brandon Coleman (lead vocals, guitar), Drew Nix (guitar and vocals), Zach Rishel (guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass) and John Hall (drums) – bonded as young, working-class men raised on Lynyrd Skynyrd riffs and the songs of Sturgill Simpson. Anchored by Coleman, whose voice channels country gold and old-school rock ‘n’ roll soul, the Strays cut its teeth with gigs on sticky barroom floors.
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. Backed by crowdfunding campaigns for recording and touring (a nod of the dedicated following built during years of do-it-yourself road-dogging), the band self-released debut album, Moment of Truth, in 2022. The album featured 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 on TikTok, propelling the song to peak in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Rock and Alternative songs chart, as well as inside the top 20 of the Hot Country Songs chart. The album also helped earn the band a nomination for Emerging Artist of the Year at the upcoming 2024 Americana Honors & Awards.
The success of Moment of Truth led to the Strays inking a deal with RCA Records and enlisting Cobb – known for his work with Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Greta Van Fleet, Jason Isbell and more – to produce Made by These Moments. The band and Cobb cut the album at the producer’s home studio in Savannah, Georgia, largely tracking live in Cobb’s living room. Listeners hear the result on lively numbers like the speaker-scorching blues rocker “Ramblin’” and throwback country-rock jam “Wasting Time” – songs 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.