Modern bluegrass heroes The Steeldrivers have always been heavy on the blues in their original music, going back to their days with founding member Chris Stapleton, who is now putting his bluesy sound into the country scene.
Now they’ve gone all the way, signing with Memphis-based Sun Records, the legendary label that recorded blues icons like Howlin’ Wolf, Ike Turner, and Little Milton before hitting it big with Elvis Presley and moving towards rock ‘n’ roll and country artists like Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. Though under new ownership since those glory days under founder Sam Phillips, they remain a prominent and influential force in the music business.
Steeldrivers bassist Mike Fleming says that the whole band is psyched to join up with such a legendary name.
“As The SteelDrivers celebrate the 20th year of their musical odyssey, I cannot imagine a finer coupling for our new recording than the iconic Sun Records.”
Fiddler and vocalist Tammy Rogers adds that they are all walking a little taller since the signing.
“We’re excited to partner with a true icon. Sun Records definitely has the ‘cool’ factor!”
Chase Gregory, Sun Records Senior Director of A&R/Sync, warmly welcomes The Steeldrivers into the fold of the newly reactivated label.
“The founder of Sun Records, Sam Phillips, and his successor, Shelby Singleton, both had a knack for recording and releasing great music across a diverse array of genres. While the sounds vary from artist to artist, one thing ties it all together: ingenuity.
Now under its third owner, Primary Wave, Sun has risen and is releasing great new music again for the first time in decades. We are thrilled to welcome The SteelDrivers to the Sun Records family! They are emblematic of Sun’s Americana roots, and we are honored to help them celebrate 20 years as a group.”
A new album is already finished, bearing the title Outrun, with a May 23 release expected from Sun. No word yet on when a first single might drop, though we do have this brief tease.
Sun Records has started a mailing list for folks who want to receive updates about Outrun. Simply sign up on their web site.
