Gary Nichols on medical leave from The Steeldrivers – Adam Wakefield steps in

Adam Wakefield with The Steeldrivers at the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival (May 2017) – photo by Frank Baker

Lots of bluegrass fans made a connection with Adam Wakefield last year when he was a contestant on The Voice, NBC television’s popular vocal competition program. Given his physical appearance, his acoustic guitar, and his gravelly singing style, comparisons between Adam and Chris Stapleton were inevitable. Many fans of Chris from his time with The Steeldrivers began to wonder if Adam had a bluegrass background as well.

Well… now we know. When Steeldrivers lead vocalist Gary Nichols had to take some time away from the road to deal with an unexpected medical issue this spring, they called on Adam Wakefield to fill his spot.

Here’s a note the band shared with fans on social media recently…

“We have an important announcement to make regarding Gary. He will be taking a little time off from touring to take care of an unforeseen medical issue. This time away from the band will be difficult for him to endure. He loves our fans and being on stage singing his heart out… but he really needs this time off so that he can have the proper time to mend.

In order to fulfill our commitments we have asked our good friend, Adam Wakefield to step in and cover for Gary for the time being. Many of you may know Adam as a recent contestant on The Voice. He was the runner up on last season’s show. Adam is a gritty singer-songwriter and guitar player with a large soulful voice. We are thrilled that he is able to help us out!

Thanks for being such awesome fans over the years. We look forward to having G-Ray back on the road real soon.

Meet Adam Wakefield who will be filling in for G-ray for a little while.”

Get well soon, Gary!

Share this:

About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.