Grammy winners The SteelDrivers, a bluegrass-flavored group of multi-dimensional artists, bring their chiseled compositions to Murfreesboro this October.
Granted, within recent years the band has seen its lineup shift gears. Still, the steel-driving force has stayed put and the group has persevered. Among those changes were the departure of lead singer Chris Stapleton—for an extremely successful solo career—and then his replacement, Gary Nichols.
Funnily enough, second-most-recent lead Kelvin Damrell showed real steel appeal on a YouTube video that caught the ear of the band. The daughter of SteelDrivers fiddle player Tammy Rogers King witnessed Damrell’s cover of a Stapleton song. This discovery of its next member was somewhat of a full-circle moment for the band. Damrell joined King, Richard Bailey (banjo), Mike Fleming (bass) and Brent Truitt (mandolin) as the newest member of the group in 2018.
An official recorded debut of the updated lineup followed with SteelDrivers’ 2020 album (their fifth) Bad for You. Bad finds things getting good again for the group, and in particular for King’s pen—she co-wrote 10 of its 11 tracks (an instrumental piece excluded) tackling tales from death to love to insomnia to just plain fun (along with a bit of influence of unapologetic Cajun).
Yet, change was still in the air—in July, Damrell unexpectedly parted ways with the group and Matt Dame swiftly stepped up to the plate. The newest new member debuted live with the SteelDrivers on July 17 and, thankfully, the general fan consensus is that Dame is doing damn well stepping in for Damrell.
“Matt is a veteran singer-songwriter who has been working in Nashville’s studio scene for several years. He’s a great singer and we look forward to introducing him to all the Steelheads out on the road for the remainder of our 2021 tour!” King shared.
Dame expressed enormous enthusiasm and respect for The SteelDrivers in a statement about taking on such a challenge.
“What an honor to be joining such a great group of musicians and friends. I have, like many, been a big fan of the band for a long time. The power of the songs hooked me from their first album. I love great singin’ and the SteelDrivers have set the bar for world class songs and vocalists since the start. Chris, Gary and Kelvin are incredible singers and musicians. I am humbled to have the opportunity to follow them, make some new memories and meet all of you,” Dame said. “Looking forward to our group sings.”
With local favorite John Salaway & The Stones River Saints joining as openers, the SteelDrivers will hammer down together in fine form on the Hop Springs outdoor stage to fuse blues and bluegrass perfectly suited for rocking the night away and melding melodies with some sway.
SteelDrivers and John Salaway play on Sunday, Oct. 24, at Hop Springs at 7 p.m. Hop Springs is located at 6790 John Bragg Hwy., Murfreesboro.
All ages welcome (under 21 must be accompanied by parent or legal guardian). Tickets start at $25. Limited VIP tickets include upfront pit viewing, a private bar and VIP parking.
For more information on The SteelDrivers, visit thesteeldrivers.com.
For more information on John Salaway, visit johnsalaway.com.
