The Artists

 Singer, songwriter, guitarist, storyteller, traveler and road warrior are all words that aptly describe Scott Kirby. Finishing songs while driving through the Italian countryside, performing 100 plus live shows throughout the US and Canada, touring Ireland with 50 fans in tow, and recording his tenth album in Nashville, all keep the barnacles off this modern-day troubadour.

A creative lyricist and accomplished finger-style acoustic guitarist with an expressive voice, Kirby describes himself as a direct descendent of the ’70s singer/songwriter movement. His very first 45 was a Beatles record, and he came of musical age listening to James Taylor and other great songwriters of that era. He has never received any formal musical training, but often credits Taylor with teaching him how to play the acoustic guitar. “If it weren’t for the hundreds of solitary hours in my room in Concord, New Hampshire, with a guitar and a James Taylor book, I never would have learned to play,” says Kirby. Speaking of New Hampshire and musical influences, let’s not forget fellow New Hampshire native Tom Rush who was taking the folk scene by storm in Kirby’s formative years. Coincidentally, Kirby connected with both of these artists in Key West 30 years later, which is a whole other story.

After a few years in high school bands and a stint in his early 20s as a bass guitarist with a group, Kirby drifted away from music and became immersed in a career in politics: managing campaigns, writing and producing radio and TV ads, and overseeing the office of a leader in the New Hampshire legislature. He was also guitarless for eight years! In 1988, however, after tiring of the political rat race and the length and severity of New England winters, he bought a new guitar, relentlessly practiced his chops, and planned his escape. Six months later Kirby was living in Key West and performing five nights a week on a balmy beach facing the Gulf of Mexico.

Kirby started writing songs after some inspirational late-night words from legendary songwriter Shel Silverstein and further encouragement from Peter Mayer, who had just joined the Coral Reefer Band. A year later he found himself recording his first CD, Too Damn Yankee, in Jimmy Buffett’s Shrimpboat Sound Studio with Peter and Jim Mayer and Roger Guth. “This was a very lucky break for me, but I was in a bit over my head,” says Kirby. “Peter, Jim and Roger were incredibly patient with me and it was a fantastic learning experience.”

Between 1993 and 2006, Kirby continued to write new material and recorded four more CDs with Key West producer/engineer Dan Simpson. In 2008 luck struck again when famed drummer/producer Russ Kunkel offered to produce Kirby’s Row Me Home CD at his studio in Los Angeles. “Next thing I know I’m cutting my songs in the Hollywood Hills with Russ, bassist Leland Sklar and guitarist Dean Parks and feeling like the luckiest guy in the world.”

Speaking of luck, Kirby’s wistful ballad “Lucky Enough” struck a chord with listeners on Sirius/XM Radio Margaritaville, which exposed his music to more markets around the country and led to his current touring schedule through 35 states each year. He continues to receive regular airplay on the station.

Kirby joined a group of friends in 2011 to open the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon, a 200-seat bar and music venue in Key West, where Kirby often performed in the winter months. The Tuna is also host to the Key West Songwriter’s Festival, which has exploded into the largest event of its kind, in the world.

In 2013 Kirby released his seventh CD, Sol Searching, a collaboration with producer/engineer/musician Lew London. “Lew was great to work with as he’s so multi-talented,” says Kirby. “He performed for years with Steve Goodman and is such a fine songwriter in his own right that he really understands how to build a sound around acoustically- based songs.”

Scott Kirby’s eighth CD, La Casa Cayo Hueso, was a live collaboration with occasional bandmates, Brendan and Peter Mayer.  His ninth effort, Chasing Hemingway’s Ghost, was recorded in Nashville with producer Andy Thompson in 2017.

When it comes to songwriting, Kirby respects authenticity and counts on everyday life and his coastal roots for much of his inspiration. “I don’t wake up every day thinking about writing the next commercial hit,” says Kirby. “Songwriting for me is about telling stories, expressing emotions, and commentary on things I may find funny or absurd.”

Over the years Kirby has shared the stage with some of his favorite artists: Carole King, Jimmy Buffett, Tom Rush, Mac McAnally, Darius Rucker, Livingston Taylor, Marty Stewart, Asleep at the Wheel and others. When not on the road or performing in Key West, Kirby splits his time between Key West and the coast of Maine, where he can often be found sailing, a lifelong passion of this descendent of Newfoundland fishermen.  He’s also recently discovered a little town in Southern France, where he plans to lay his head a month or two each year.

Yes, Scott Kirby is—as he readily admits—lucky enough.

 Howard and David continue to prove that the trail they’ve ridden to fame has been as unique as their music itself—music that celebrates 50 years of success in 2025.

The road that started on the pop music charts in the ‘70’s, took a winding turn into country music in the ‘80’s, paving the way for duos to come, such as Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, Big & Rich and previously—The Judds. But before the road forked into country, the musical odyssey of brothers Bellamy started creatively smoldering in their home state of Florida, before exploding nationally amidst the ’70’s pop music culture of L.A.

The brothers first official gig was in 1968, playing a free show with their father at the Rattlesnake Roundup in San Antonio, Florida. They honed their early skills playing Black clubs throughout the south, and singing backup for artists such as Percy Sledge, Eddie Floyd and Little Anthony & The Imperials. Within a few months, the brothers moved north, immersing themselves and their rock/country sound in the Atlanta market, where the Allman Brothers were the emerging kings of the music world.

With the dawning of the Age of Aquarius on the horizon, and America embroiled in a smoke haze of drugs, civil unrest and an unpopular war, the Bellamy's music picked-up the hard driving edge that bespoke the times. Songwriting had become David Bellamy’s drug of choice during the long road gigs he and Howard were regularly pulling bodies and equipment to and from. It was his songwriting that was posed to soon provide the duo a national breakout.

The break came in the form of the hit, “Spiders & Snakes,” written by David and recorded by Jim Stafford. The song became a smash, eventually selling more than three million units worldwide. It became the catapult that rocketed the brothers onto the L.A. music scene. Young and impressionable, Howard and David fell into the musical circle of the greats of the day: Bob Dylan, James Taylor and Van Morrison, as well as West Coast based country rockers like Poco and the Byrds.It was a creative shoe that fit. It was a creative shoe that fit.

Now known by their music and the company they were keeping, the Bellamys officially lifted off the launch pad in 1976 when their single, “Let Your Love Flow,” became an instant smash in both the U.S. and Europe. It stayed on the international charts long enough to build a huge international fan base for the hip young brothers that endures to this day. In Germany alone it perched at No. 1 for more than two months. The love was indeed flowing as the Bellamys jammed for audiences on their sold-out concerts and shared stages with the likes of Loggins & Messina, the Doobie Brothers and the Beach Boys with their patented blend of rock/country music. True to their musical roots, their style and their songwriting was moving steadily more towards their raising.

By the late ‘70’s the Bellamys were emerging on the country charts with another bona fide smash. “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me),” originally scrawled on a dinner napkin by David, rocketed them to the top of the country charts the way “Let Your Love Flow,” had done in the pop market just a few years earlier. It proved to be the first of a string of fourteen No. 1 singles in the U.S. alone.

Success followed success: “Dancing Cowboys,” “Sugar Daddy,” “You Ain’t Just Whistlin’ Dixie,” “Lovers Live Longer,” “Do You Love As Good As You Look,” “Redneck Girl,” “For All The Wrong Reasons,” “I Love Her Mind,” “I Need More Of You,” “Old Hippie,” “Too Much Is Not Enough,” “Kids Of The Baby Boom,” “Reggae Cowboy” and “Crazy From The Heart,” all have lined the corridors of the Bellamy’s musical history and their walls with platinum and gold.

Along the way, Howard and David created a patent on the newly cool “duo” category in country music. In the era of the 2000’s, the Bellamy Brothers hold the record in both the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the Country Music Association Awards (CMA) for the most duo nominations. Numerous GRAMMY nods have also been directed toward the brothers. Internationally, the story has been the same—though the titles may be different. The Bellamys have released more than two-dozen hit songs outside the U.S. that were never released here. With a sharp eye on the songwriting skills that have been the bedrock of their success, Howard and David concur that their career is unique in their international finesse for matching their songs to the market.

“For the international releases, you have to have a strong melody,” notes David, a 2024 inductee to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF). “The lyric is very important, but internationally the melody is something fans can lock into, even if they can’t understand the lyrics.” Howard and David continue to perform and film TV specials in Europe and around the world.

The Bellamy Brothers celebrated their 40th anniversary with the release of a two-CD collection, 40 years, an ambitious project containing 20 of their biggest hits and 20 brand-new songs. As a follow-up, 40 Years: The Vinyl Albumwas released in 2022.Their most recent project, Double Dog Dare, debuted on Nov. 1, 2024. Double Dog Dare includes their “sublimely country (MusicRow)” collaboration, "Forever Ain't Long Enough" with Gene Watson and “I’d Lie to You For Your Love” featuring the late K.T. Oslin, dubbed by Country Universe as "one of the best records released this year," along with "Normal Ain’t Coming Back" featuring The Isaacs.

These days when the subject turns to touring, the Bellamys are showing a new generation of country music how it’s done. Country superstar Blake Shelton helped introduce a new era of fans to the hits of the Bellamy Brothers during his Friends And Heroes Tour, where they continued to captivate arena audiences around the country. “We’re old road dogs,” grins Howard when asked about the motivation behind the brothers 200 plus concert dates each year. Adds David, “Our live draw is bigger than it was in the ‘80’s. I think the same people that grew up with us and with our music in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s obviously have raised a whole new generation of Bellamy fans who started toddling to our music. Now they’re turning up at our concerts as college kids, who are really turned on and tuned in to us and our music. It’s a great feeling.”

On the infrequent off days from the road, Howard and David head the bus back to their 150-acre family ranch in Darby, Florida just north of Tampa. The Bellamy Brothers’ hit reality series, “Honky Tonk Ranch,” chronicles their “unusual lives, blending music stardom, vigorous road tours and cattle ranching (Tampa Bay Times)." The show, which was originally broadcast on The Cowboy Channel (a subsidy of RFD-TV), currently airs on Circle Country.

The Bellamy Brothers also remain busy with their Trulieve medical marijuana brand Old Hippie Stash, which includes the strains Reggae Cowboy, Big Love, Afterglow, Rattler, Blue Rodeo and Bird Dog. The duo backed the Smart & Safe Florida campaign to implement safe and common-sense cannabis regulation in their home state of Florida.

In 2019, the Bellamys released their first book Let Your Love Flow – the Life and Times of The Bellamy Brothers. The book is about two Florida cowboys who journeyed from country poverty to worldwide musical stardom because they had the talent and because it never occurred to them, they couldn’t make it.

 Michael Martin Murphey’s musical journey has taken many unpredictable paths over the past 50 years.  Topping the Pop, Country, Western and Bluegrass charts, Murphey has never been one to rest on his laurels.

​

    A loyal American son from Texas, Murphey is best known for his chart-topping hits “Wildfire,” Carolina In The Pines,” “What’s Forever For,” “Long Line of Love,” “Geronimo’s Cadillac”, “Cowboy Logic,” and many more across his 35 albums released to date.

    Murphey’s long-running incarnation as a purveyor of the music, lifestyle, and values of the American West is one of many musical mantles he has worn over the years. To track his career path is to span the country itself, from coming of age in the Texas folk music scene, to Los Angeles to Colorado to Nashville and then back to his native Texas.

​

     Murphey’s original songs have been recorded by The Monkees, Kenny Rogers, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Denver, Hoyt Axton, Johnny Cash, Tracy Byrd, Lyle Lovett, Jerry Jeff Walker, Dolly Parton, Johnny Rivers, Billy Ray Cyrus, and many others.  

​

    During the early 1970s in Austin, TX along with artists like Jerry Jeff Walker and Gary P. Nunn, Murphey created the “Cosmic Cowboy” movement, which was pivotal in drawing artists like Willie Nelson to the scene and helped birth the “Outlaw” Country movement.  In 1972, Murphey signed a major label deal.  Discovered by renowned producer Bob Johnston (Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan), Murphey released his pivotal debut, Geronimo’s Cadillac.  “On the strength of his first album alone,” proclaimed Rolling Stone Magazine, “Michael Murphey is the best new songwriter in the country.”  In 1975 he topped the pop charts with his hit singles, “Wildfire” and “Carolina In the Pines” from the RIAA Certified Gold album Blue Sky - Night Thunder.  

​

     Then, in the early 1980s, Murphey recorded a watershed country album for Capitol Records produced by Jim Ed Norman.  He topped the Country Charts with the “Still Taking Chances” single, which solidified his relationship with country radio as a hit singer-songwriter, and exposed him to an entirely new audience.  Twelve years after his first hit in Pop music, Murphey was awarded “Best New Artist” by the Academy of Country Music (beating out George Strait).  He continued to top the country charts throughout the decade with hits like “What’s Forever For,” the Grammy nominated “A Face In the Crowd,” (with Holly Dunn), the number one “A Long Line of Love”, “I’m Gonna Miss You Girl”, and many more.

​

     In 1985, Murphey performed with the New Mexico Symphony in a concept he titled “A Night in the American West,” which was so well received, it led to hundreds of performances with American and Canadian symphonies, including the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. 

​

     In 1990 he circled around to one of his first loves, cowboy music. Cowboy Songs Vol.1, was wildly successful and became the first album of cowboy music to go gold since the heyday of Marty Robbins.  Cowboy Songs was so popular and highly regarded that Warner Bros. created an entire imprint called Warner Western.  In the midst of this Country / Western successes he founded a Western cultural festival called “Westfest”, deemed “the best festival in America”. It is American West showmanship, culture, lifestyle and scholarship. 

​

     Ever a genre-busting artist, Murphey refocused his attention again in 2009 with his Grammy nominated Buckaroo Blue Grass.  That project — and two subsequent releases, Buckaroo Blue Grass II and Tall Grass & Cool Water — topped the Bluegrass charts.

​

      Murphey has been awarded gold albums for Cowboy Songs, Vol. I, Blue Sky Night Thunder, and a Platinum single, “Wildfire”.  He has been given the prestigious Charlie Russell Award for Western Heritage.  He is a 5-time recipient of the Wrangler award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and Cowboy Hall of Fame, and boasts awards from the Academy of Country Music, Rock Music Awards, Academy of Western Music Awards, Governor of New Mexico’s Outstanding Achievement Award, Outstanding Son of Texas Award by the Texas Legislature, and multiple from BMI. In 2009, he was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association Hall of Fame, joining old friends Willie Nelson, Guy Clark and Allen Shamblin.   

​

     In 2018, Murphey released Austinology: Alleys of Austin, which celebrated his early days as a pioneer of the Austin Music Scene of the 70s with guest artists that included Willie Nelson, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, Amy Grant, Jerry Jeff Walker, Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison, and many more.

​

In April 2019 Murph was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 59th Annual Western Heritage Awards.  The National & Western Heritage Museum honored him for his producing and celebrating western music.  "In the Old West," Murphey said, "songs were shared by pioneers, cattlemen, ranchers, painted ladies and even gunslingers as a way of keeping the West alive. I have always been drawn to songs about the love of the land, the strength of the prairie folks, the dusty trails, the mythic tales and the legends of a bygone era. I have always admired Westerners for their stubborn determination and deep love of life. That's what I celebrate in my music."  

 Gary P. Nunn has been TAKING TEXAS TO THE COUNTRY and Texas country to the world for some 40 years now, establishing himself as an icon of Lone Star music. A founding father of the progressive country movement out of Austin in the 1970s that changed the face of popular music, Nunn is also an independent music pioneer who continues to oversee his own record label and song publishing companies, manage his own career (with the help of his wife Ruth), and play most every weekend at top music venues throughout Texas and beyond. His composition “London Homesick Blues” — with its internationally known “I wanna go home with the Armadillo” chorus — is a signature Texas country song that was the theme for the PBS concert TV show “Austin City Limits” for nearly three decades. It’s no wonder that All Music Guide hails him as “a Texas music institution.”

And now on TAKING TEXAS TO THE COUNTRY, Nunn continues to musically progress while staying true to his roots. It’s something of a travelogue in song that begins with a cosmic cowboy trip back to a love that once was on “Deja Vu,” and later visits a sorrowful “Denver” and a Cajun fais do do “Down To Louisiana,” plus takes a restful vacation along a “Mexican Boulevard,” and bops to a bit of Jamaican reggae on “It’s Not Love.” Longing for Texas travels the map on “One State of Mind,” while “Lonesome Lone Star Blues” tours the cities and towns of the Republic.

Along the way one meets a true Texan on “The Likes of Me” and a confirmed bachelor on “I’m Not That Kind of Guy.” Love is found just “A Two-Step Away,” and happiness comes every Friday night when “The Girl Just Loves to Dance.” The album finally wraps up with a message to Nashville about where country music still lives and thrives on the title tune, followed by the sweetly pleading closing devotional “The Rest of My Life.” And within its 13 tracks, Nunn and company touch on a spectrum of dance rhythms while the star of the show hits those emotional sweet spots throughout with his always warm and heartfelt singing.

Davin James is a Texas-based singer-songwriter and virtuoso guitarist known for his deep, rich voice, genre-blending style, and dynamic live performances. Born December 6, 1965, in Jackson, Mississippi, he spent his early years in Monroe, Louisiana, and Eldorado, Arkansas, before moving to Kingwood, Texas, at age 12. There, he learned guitar, influenced by his father Mike James, who initially tried to teach him Merle Haggard’s Ramblin’ Fever for $100 — a deal Davin flipped by insisting the money go toward an electric guitar.

James’ musical range spans traditional country, rock, jazz, southern blues, Cajun, and Gulf Coast blues, often fusing genres in a way reminiscent of Hank Williams Jr.’s Whiskey Bent and Hellbound AllMusic+1. He began performing in the 1980s in honky-tonks, covering artists like Hank Jr. and Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as top 40 country hits Visit Port Aransas & Mustang Island.

His professional career took off in the late 1990s when Gary P. Nunn recorded four of his songs — Guadalupe Days, Back In The Swing, If You Had A Mind Too, and Siesta Sunday — for his Roadtrip album, and later included his autobiographical I’ve Come A Long Long Way on Under My Hat. He also contributed to Larry Joe Taylor’s Heart of the Matter and Port A to Port B albums, and co-wrote Take It Breezy for LJT’s Summer Days.

James’ breakthrough came in 2001 with his album Magnolia, where the title track and Rolling Dice charted on the Texas Music Chart and became his most requested songs. Rolling Dice was even used in Dodge advertising. Over the years, he released Palmer Lake, Old Soul, and Buck Owens Freeway, often recording in his own home studio after undergoing health challenges in 2004.

In recent years, he has continued to release music, including 2023 singles Pong and Red, White and Blue (re-released from his 2005 Live album). He remains active in live performances, known for his engaging stage presence and genre-defying setlists.

For a man who believes it took nine daisy-chained Old Testament miracles to be here, Mac McAnally has certainly made good on divine intervention. A record-setting 10-time Country Music Association Musician of the Year, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member as well as Mississippi Musicians and Alabama Music Hall of Fame inductee, GRAMMY nominee, producer, collaborator, Coral Reefer, top of the chart touring sing/songwriter, good guy, friend and father quietly goes about making music with a simple mandate. 

That humility is as striking as the voice that is the epitome of compassionate clarity. It allowed the soft-spoken son of a gospel piano player and a teacher, who was raised in a dry county, to core into the human condition with a grace and sense of detail that’s compelling.

Those songs have created meaningful hits for Sawyer Brown, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Ricky Skaggs, Alabama, Shenandoah, Luke Combs and Hank Williams, Jr. while his songwriting informs his musicianship, appearing on albums by Country Music Hall of Fame members Toby Keith, Dolly Parton, George Strait and Keith Whitley as well as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lyle Lovett, Roy Orbison and Linda Ronstadt.

His own 1977 self-titled debut – made by accident – endures. Indeed, McAnally’s solo recordings are the secret handshake for Southern literati, recording artists who know songs, musicians seeking inspiration. David Geffen made McAnally his first signing at what was then an unnamed label that would ultimately sign John Lennon, Donna Summer, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Guns N Roses and Nirvana; the entertainment icon told the young man from Mississippi, “I think you’re probably ahead of your time, but I think you’re a real artist, and I would like to be a patron of the arts in the old fashioned sense. I would like to fund and be associated with what you do. I don’t care what it is, and I will never tell you how to do it, and I will never tell you what to do. I just want to be connected with your work.”

That was a lot to take in for a 23 year old with a few failed albums. After all, it took his father driving him to anywhere he heard someone could play guitar to even get out of the house. Laughing now, McAnally recalls, “My dad would just take me to somebody’s house and drop me off; knock on the door and say, ‘Hey, my boy’s got a guitar like your boy does. You guys shake hands and play.’ I was really bashful, and my dad was precocious that way; he’d hear some guy was a good guitar player 40 miles away in Booneville, Mississippi, and we’d go driving up and knock on the door.”

Word spread. One day the knock was on the McAnally’s front door. Shelby Dean is looking for the 13-year-old to flesh out his country band. If Tishomingo County, MS was dry as a bone, it was also – like the movie “Footloose” – a place not big on dancing. But just over the Tennessee state line, a little over an hour away, the Circle E Club had Dean & the Reefers playing for the drinkin’, dancin’, knife-fightin’ chainsaw bearing patrons. A good Christian man, Dean promised Mac’s parents he’d look out for their son, offering, “He’s gotta learn to play with other people” as an inducement – and weekly pay of $250 as a closer.

They were playing a cocktail of Conway Twitty, George Jones, Willie Nelson with a little Jim Croce with the young teen on piano. During breaks, he’d practice acoustic guitar behind the piano to stay out of the fracas.

Tishomingo wasn’t the only dry county in those parts. Colbert County, AL, then a major recording vortex, was dry, too. So when the session players from the studios in Muscle Shoals were done, they went to Iron City, TN, too. While known for their wicked rhythm sections, neither FAME, Wishbone or Muscle Shoals had a dedicated acoustic guitar player.

Suddenly, McAnally’s in rooms with some of the ‘60s and‘70s greatest players, including guitarist Jimmy Johnson and the ghost of Duane Allman. He’s working with legendary producers (Sir) George Martin, Jerry Wexler and Rick Hall. He’s playing on swampy music that spans soul, rock, gospel and country, including Hank Williams, Jr.’s iconic “Family Tradition.”

All those styles only spoke to the creative mélange that was the American south. He shakes his head about the recording artist who missed their flight; the studio band booked and sitting with nothing to do.

After three rounds of all the musicians saying they had no songs to cut, the engineer spoke up for the reticent acoustic guitarist. “He was from Red Bay, the town I was born in. He knew me, and said, ‘He’s bashful, but he’s got songs. I know he’s got songs.’ They eventually got me to play something, my little song ‘It’s A Crazy World,’ which was the first record I ever released.”

Seems Clinton Ivey and Terry Woodford had been staff producers at Motown. They’d wanted to go back to Muscle Shoals to start a studio, but they still knew people. Not only did they get McAnally a record deal, but longtime record exec Jay Lasker, who also signed Jimmy Buffett, passed Mac McAnally on to the young Southern songwriter also trying to find his place in American music and pop culture.

A shared affinity for Southern writers including William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, Eudora Welty, as well as Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck cemented not just their friendship, but a colony of writer/artists that included Steve Goodman, John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, Fred Neil and Gamble Rogers, whose English professor at UVA was Faulkner. It also informed a songwriting aesthetic that was tenderly human, weighted by detail and the echo chamber of the heart.

That gave me license to dig those things out, between that and all the sermons I endured going with mom, the storytellers back home, those three things made a sauce for what I think is important in telling stories.”

Barely 19 when his first album hit, just 23 when Geffen uttered the above, McAnally became a journeyman storyteller, musician, occasional, then full-time Coral Reefer, duet partner on Nanci Griffith’s seminal “Gulf Coast Highway.” What he didn’t become was bold-faced, single-named famous. But he can tell you about recording the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in New Orleans and Jimmy Buffett’s vocals in Key West, marvel about Kenny Chesney driving to Canada and back to see a girl listening to his 1990 Simple Life the entire way or consider, “ridiculous things: I’ve gotten to work with [producer] Owen Bradley, open shows for Willie Nelson, play with Ray Charles and talk music with Sir Paul McCartney. I don’t mean to name drop, but I love all those people and their music.”

Awestruck, alive with reverence and joy, McAnally has no problem being unabashed about the life he’s created. Awards. Recognition. Adventure. Fellowship. Fun. Stories to tell. It’s all there.

 Presley Haile was born and raised in Hamilton, Texas, a small town near Waco. Immersed in music from a young age, she began performing publicly at 16 years old as a house opener at a local bar, honing her skills as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Her upbringing in Central Texas deeply influenced her musical style, which blends traditional country, Americana, and alternative folk.

Haile’s early work includes self-released tracks such as “New Mexico” (2021) and fan favorites like “Mountain Daughter” (2023), which garnered hundreds of thousands of streams. She has shared stages with artists including the Randy Rogers Band and Ty Myers, building a reputation for engaging live performances. Her music often reflects personal experiences, Texas roots, and themes of longing, growth, and connection to nature.

In 2024, her performance of “Mosquito” on the Chill Country YouTube channel caught the attention of Columbia Records, leading to a recording deal. She released her debut EP, “Off to Find a Sunny Day”, in June 2025, with a full-length album expected in 2026. Her songs are noted for their vivid imagery, emotional depth, and a voice that conveys wisdom beyond her years.

Haile’s style is rooted in honest storytelling, combining elements of folk, country, and Americana. She cites influences such as John Prine and Patty Griffin, though she emphasizes writing in her own voice rather than emulating others. Her lyrics often explore personal and universal themes, including love, loss, and the search for peace

 Larry Joe Taylor is one of Texas music’s most beloved storytellers—known as much for his warmth and honesty onstage as for the songs themselves. For decades he has stood as a pillar of the Texas songwriter tradition, blending humor, heart, and lived-in truth with the kind of storytelling that only comes from a life deeply connected to people, place, and song.

Whether performing solo or backed by a full band, Larry Joe’s shows carry the same unmistakable spirit—songs that feel personal, stories that feel lived, and a stage presence that turns a crowd into a community. His band performances are known for their rich Texas sound: a mix of folk, country, and roots-rock energy that brings both intimacy and celebration to the room.

More than a performer, Larry Joe is also a visionary and community builder, whose festival and songwriter culture have helped shape generations of artists. Every April, upwards of 60,000 fans return to Stephenville, Texas, for the Larry Joe Taylor Texas Music Festival and Chili Cook-Off—one of the most storied gatherings in Texas music history.

Taylor’s songwriting has been embraced by artists across generations, with recordings by Jerry Jeff Walker and the Lost Gonzo Band, Gary P. Nunn, Chuck Pyle, Richard Leigh, Keith Sykes, Stephen Fromholz, Tommy Alverson, Josh Abbott, Davin James, Presley Haile, and many more.

At the heart of it all is the live performance: vivid snapshots of life, quiet emotion wrapped in melody, and the rare ability to make a packed house feel like a circle of friends. Whether he’s playing an intimate listening room or a festival stage with a full band, a Larry Joe Taylor show is about connection, authenticity, and the enduring spirit of songwriting. 

 When it comes to the blues today, there are a handful of guiding lights to make sure the music stays true to its powerful source. The sound of pleasure and pain that first sparked musicians to create such a sound is a force that can never be underestimated. The mojo has to be there. For Jimmie Vaughan, he's dedicated his life to making sure the blues not only stays alive, but remains full of life and an inspiration to all who listen. It's a spirit he holds close to him, and for over 50 years of holding the blues close inside him, Vaughan isn't about to stop now.

Jimmie Vaughan's new album, BABY, PLEASE COME HOME, is a rolling and righteous celebration of everything the blues can be. The songs can go up, down, sideways and even off in their own distinctive direction, but one thing is certain, each and every one of them is packed with pure feeling and striking originality. That's because while the blues is almost as old as America itself, every time a musician lends their soul to living inside these songs, something new comes out. There is a constant reinvention for musicians like Vaughan, because the blues demands it. There can be nothing less than a revelation, because that's how the music stays alive. It is almost like an alchemy exists, where instruments and voice join together to make a joyful noise. And above all else the blues, in the capable of hands of Vaughan and his musical cohorts, is a path to salvation. One that is birthed in the ability of songs to make life on earth a better place to be.

Sometimes it takes decades to finally arrive at a place called home. When a young player starts out as a teenager to find a spot to call his own, there can be enough twists and turns to throw even the most dedicated of souls off the mark. Life can be a tricky endeavor, and between the bright lights and the dark nights, that road ahead can be full of false starts and deceiving roadblocks. But on BABY, PLEASE COME HOME Jimmie Vaughan proves without doubt all his efforts and energy have taken him to the promised land. Maybe that's because blues is really the art of distillation, seeking the sound where there are no extraneous notes, or unnecessary additions to the feeling of freedom. It takes years to get there, and patience is most definitely a virtue. Above all else, feeling is the most important element of all. With that, all else can be conquered.  

"Playing what you feel has always been my main goal," Vaughan says. Considering the Texas guitarist and singer has had the kind of career that makes him a living legacy, those are no idle words. His first group when he was starting high school played Dallas' Hob Knob Lounge six nights a week, learning the kind of lessons that can't be taught. They have to be lived. Other bands in the '60s convinced the young man it was time to find a way to play the music he felt the strongest about: the blues, That took him to hitchhiking to Austin in the early '70s and carving out a new crew of blues players who shared his musical excitement. Jimmie Vaughan started in the lead, and has remained there.  After worldwide success with the Fabulous Thunderbirds during the '80s, it came time to leave that band and build his own path in exploring different approaches to the blues. He did not hesitate. And what Vaughan discovered was that he could take it anywhere; there were no boundaries. "I wanted to find out what I could really do," he says, "and when I started singing it gave me a whole new side to explore. When I was young I didn't really pay much attention to categories of music. I just heard what I liked and decided to explore that. And that's really what I'm still doing."

For the past few years, Jimmie Vaughan has been recording a series of albums dedicated to the songs he's always held in high esteem, recorded by artists that inspired him from his very earliest days of performing. The sessions have been held in studios near Austin, and he was surrounded by fellow musicians who understand that music is intended to ignite the heart and fill the soul. There can be no shortcuts or sleight-of-hand when playing these songs. They come from writers and performers who responsible for so much of modern popular musics, some well known but many are other who are still names not known outside the blues world. On BABY, PLEASE COME HOME, some of those original artists are Lloyd Price, Jimmy Donley, Lefty Frizell, Richard Berry, Chuck Willis, Bill Doggett, T-Bone Walker, Etta James, Fats Domino, Gatemouth Brown and Jimmy Reed. In so many ways, this is a list of some of the prime purveyors of America's greatest music. That it can range from seminal bluesmen like Jimmy Reed to one of the founding father of modern country music Lefty Frizell proves the point that Vaughan has always believed: music is not about what it is labeled, but rather how it makes the listener feel.  On BABY, PLEASE COME HOME, those feelings are played to the hilt by some of Jimmie Vaughan's long-standing A-team, including George Rains, Billy Pitman, Ronnie James, Mike Flanigin, Doug James, Greg Piccolo, Al Gomez, Kaz Kazonoff, T. Jarred Bonta, John Mills and Randy Zimmerman. They are joined by guest vocalists Georgia Bramhall and Emily Gimble.

These sessions, mostly held at San Marcos, Texas' Fire Station studio, were the kind of recordings that are based on musicians who have been playing this music for decades. They've come to have a near-silent style of communication, where a look or a smile communicates much more than words ever could. As bandleader, singer and guitarist, Jimmie Vaughan is a master of how everything is captured for posterity. His singing voice has grown into a study in strength. And while sometimes he might say, "Sometimes you can sing and sometimes you can't," like everything else the Texan touches, Vaughan knows when it's right and never stops until it is. He has always looked to his soul as the ultimate barometer of when the music is right, and when that is satisfied Vaughan knows he has found that spot where the music is ready to be shared.

The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards once said, "The blues. It's probably the most important thing America has ever given the world." To which Jimmie Vaughan would likely add, "Amen." 

 Rodney Crowell is the songwriter’s songwriter and an icon among giants. Native Texan, Crowell is a multi-Grammy Award-winning troubadour with fifteen number one hits. Over the course of his career, Crowell has gracefully blended his own mainstream success as an artist with a prolific catalog of songs cut by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Keith Urban and more, making him a master among his peers.

With more than 40 years of American roots music under his belt, Crowell has also been cited as the architect of Americana music, extending his genre reach, but owing to the distinctly universal, literary quality of his writing, he has also penned beloved songs for artists as diverse as Bob Seger, Etta James, the Grateful Dead, John Denver, Jimmy Buffett and countless others.

A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Crowell is also the author of the acclaimed memoir, Chinaberry Sidewalks, and teamed up with New York Times best-selling author Mary Karr for Kin: Songs by Mary Karr & Rodney Crowell in 2012, with Karr saying of her collaborator, “Like Hank Williams or Townes Van Zandt or Miss Lucinda, he writes and croons with a poet’s economy and a well digger’s deep heart.” Crowell was honored with ASCAP’s prestigious Founder’s Award in 2017, and that same year released the album Close Ties, which spawned another Grammy nomination for “It Ain’t Over Yet” with Rosanne Cash and John Paul White in the category of Best Americana Song. 2019’s Texas was a collection of Lone Star-centric collaborations with Ringo Starr, Willie Nelson, Ronnie Dunn, Steve Earle and more, and Crowell’s most recent album release is the 2021 set, Triage.

Crowell came up in Nashville’s songwriting heyday alongside Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Steve Earle and has continued that legacy of camaraderie and kinship with his peers well into the iconic era of his career. As many say – “your favorite song was probably written by Rodney Crowell.”

Crowell has four daughters and lives with his wife and dog in Tennessee. He writes every day and loves tending to his garden.

 In February of 1974 Asleep at the Wheel made the move from the Bay Area to Austin, Texas. After playing the Armadillo World Headquarters with Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen in 1973 – and receiving encouragement from Willie Nelson and Doug Sahm to relocate – the band settled in and made Austin their home, where they remain 50 years later.

“Austin was and has been everything I could have ever wished for and more,” says Ray Benson, the band’s leader and only original member. “It’s been 55 years for AATW as a band, and 50 of them have been spent in Texas. We are known worldwide for being a Texas band and playing Texas and Western Swing music. It brings us great pride to carry this torch and responsibility. We don’t take it lightly!” 

Asleep at the Wheel’s lineup is ever changing. Since 1970 the band has had over 100 members come through. In the past, when a new member or two has joined a new album has emerged. In 2025 that still remains true. “We had some more line up changes after the pandemic and our 50th anniversary tour,” says Benson. “We had some folks who had been with us for a while move on. But, like always, we kept playing live shows and searching for the next members to identify themselves – here we are!” 

One key and important role in Asleep at the Wheel and in Texas and Western Swing music is the fiddle. “It’s crazy to think that Ian Stewart, our newest vocalist and fiddler, grew up five minutes away from my house and that had nothing to do with the reason he is in the band,” says Benson. “Ian had a residency at the Broken Spoke as his own act. Danny Levin, who was there at the start of AATW in West Virginia and was in the band through the 70’s and early 80’s, had a relationship with Ian and a group with him and suggested him for the gig. Danny’s word was enough for me – he knows the gig as much as anyone.”

“Having grown up in Austin, Texas, Asleep at the Wheel is a name that has always commanded respect and it’s an honor to join their ranks,” says Stewart. “It’s an invaluable education working with a team that brings a fresh twist to the traditional music that I love and grew up listening to. I feel lucky every time I step on stage – it’s a ride I’m thankful to be on.” 

What has followed the recent lineup change is a steady dose of touring the world – and now the band’s 32nd record Riding High In Texas, featuring Stewart and Benson as the band’s lead vocalists. This marks AATW’s first new release since their 50th anniversary project Half A Hundred Years in 2021.

“I have always wanted to do a ‘Texas’ record – a thank you and love letter to this state that has given me and the band so much. I also thought it was the right project to take on with the new faces we had in the band, who had never been on record before,” says Benson. “Within these tracks there’s an unmistakable musical tradition that you can’t get anywhere else – except deep in the heart of Texas,” says Stewart.

“Just like the state of Texas and Asleep at the Wheel, this album is bold, soulful, and rooted in a rich heritage guaranteed to keep toes tappin’!” adds Stewart.

Joining Stewart for their very first Wheel album appearances are Michael Archer (bass), Curtis Clogston (steel guitar/dobro) and Lyon Graulty (horns). AATW former members Danny Levin (piano/fiddle), Joey Colarusso (horns) and David Sanger (drums) round out the group for this new record, Riding High In Texas. 

Stewart and Benson share the attention on this new record, with Stewart singing the title track “Riding High In Texas” - a Peter Rowan penned tune - that features “some hot pickin’” from Billy Strings. “I’ve been a fan of Billy’s for a long while now and got to hang with him and check out his shows. He’s such a wonderful guy.” says Benson. “I appeared briefly in one of his music videos, but we’d never had done anything musically together – until now. When it came time to lay down a solo on ‘Riding High,’ I couldn’t think of anyone better, and unsurprisingly, he played amazingly like he always does.” 

AATW are no strangers to guests on their albums, including longtime collaborator Lyle Lovett – who joins in on the song “Long Tall Texan.” “I’ve known Lyle now for almost 40 years,” says Benson. “To me, he’s the best Texas songwriter, stylist and person. I love Lyle and getting to make music with him. We couldn’t do a Texas record without him!” 

The record blends well-known Texas tunes like George Strait’s anthem “All My Exes (Live in Texas)” to Guy Clark’s “Texas Cookin’” with more obscure selections like “Still A Lot of Love in San Antone” plus songs by non-Texans such as The Carter Family’s “Lonesome Pine Special” (which Benson says Hazel Dickens version was an influence for this album) “T For Texas (Blue Yodel No. 1)” by Jimmie Rodgers and “Texas” by Charlie Daniels. 

“We weren’t trying to make Texas’ Greatest Hits,” says Benson. “That would have been too on the nose – and daunting. We picked songs that fit this group the best and that Ian and I felt we could do justice to.” 

“Texas In My Soul” was written by Ernest Tubb and popularized by Willie Nelson. “Beaumont Rag,” the Texas fiddle tune and instrumental, rounds out the 10 song album. “ET and Willie are probably my biggest Texas influences,” Benson adds. “And AATW always includes an instrumental on our records – ‘Beaumont Rag’  just felt right for this one.” 

“This album is an introduction to the current and future of AATW,” says Benson. “I know another 55 years isn’t in the cards, but I want to keep pushing and creating as much as I can, for as long as I can. Ian and the new guys give me the motivation and energy to keep this going. I hope everyone enjoys this eclectic collection of some of our favorite songs about Texas. The future for AATW is bright – and we’ll keep on Riding High In Texas!”

 Ricky Skaggs began his career as a bluegrass “phenom,” taking up the mandolin at the age of five. Anxious to continue learning before his father could teach him more than a few chords, the kindergartener taught himself how to play chord progressions and sing at the same time. By the end of the year, he had performed “Ruby, Are You Mad at Your Man” on-stage with Bill Monroe, to great local acclaim.

After a well-received performance on Flatt & Scruggs’ television show the following year, little Ricky took up the violin and guitar. As a teenager, he befriended like-minded prodigy Keith Whitley and the two began learning old Stanley Brothers songs. In 1970, they were at a bar in West Virginia, waiting to hear Ralph Stanley perform. When the bluegrass legend called to say he’d be late, the bar owner put the boys on stage to keep the crowd happy. Stanley arrived shortly thereafter —and was floored by the teenagers’ note-perfect renditions. He invited them to join the Clinch Mountain Boys, officially.

In 1972, Skaggs left Stanley and – after a brief break from performing – joined influential progressive bluegrass bands the Country Gentlemen and the New South, then started his own, Boone Creek. Seeking an education in classic country, he joined Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band in 1977. Shortly thereafter, Skaggs recorded his first solo album, which quickly became a major bluegrass hit and resulted in a contract with Epic. By the end of 1981, Ricky had become a country star and – in the process – had brought traditional, roots music back to into mainstream country.

Over the next five years, Skaggs was a major artistic and commercial force within country music, with a string of Top 10 singles, CMA awards, and GRAMMY Award-winning albums. Between 1982 and early 1983 he had five straight No. 1 singles. His phenomenal success helped spark the New Traditionalist movement, opening doors for performers like George Strait and Randy Travis.

In the mid-1990s, Skaggs made the decision to return to traditional bluegrass, taking his band Kentucky Thunder on the road starting in 1997.

There is a tension always between how big can you make your audience and how pure you can keep your heart.
I can go on one bus now, instead of two busses and a tractor-trailer, and I can take these acoustic instruments. I don’t have to have microphones. I don’t have to have amps. If we want to pull off the road and go to a little schoolhouse, we could go play and entertain the kids. That’s just where I wanted to take it. I wanted to take it back to the front porch, you know? And so that’s what I did.

Skaggs continues to record—on Atlantic, Lyric Street, and his own Skaggs Family label, to win awards, and to perform to capacity crowds at concerts and festivals. In 2018, he was inducted into both the Country Music and Bluegrass Halls of Fame.