Jake Pyeatt and The Sultans of The South

JAKE PYEATT AND THE SULTANS OF THE SOUTHWhat makes a person who they are….genetics or environment? This age old question becomes a moot point when it comes to Jake Pyeatt and The Sultans of the South. Emersed in good genes and a rich musical environment, these three brothers have it, and it is amazing!When now legendary Texas guitarist, Rodney Pyeatt met the beautiful singer/songwriter/keyboardist Rena Dearman while touring with the late Tejano superstar Selena, the marriage of talent, good looks, and musical genius resulted in three sons whose talent is undeniable. Although Rodney and Rena’s union ended in divorce when the boys were young, their commitment to their son’s well being and nurturing their God-given talent never wavered. Under the tutelage of their parents and grandmother, Wanda Fletcher Pyeatt, who taught Rodney to play guitar and is a singer/songwriter in her own right, the Lake Jackson, TX brothers had no choice….music was in their blood. Their interest in music and their natural talent took on a life of it’s own. In the early 1990’s Rodney married Paula Brown and the boys acquired a stepsister, Texas /Red Dirt session singer and vocalist, Amanda Brown. The quartet was complete.. Family events were filled with music, music, and more music. Practice, practice, and more practice.Oldest brother Britt, 25, leaned toward the heavy metal hard rock genre in his formative years. “I started playing in garage bands at age 11. From there I moved on to glorified garage bands.”, laughs Britt. His last band was Gloria Gloria, an experimental hard rock band who achieved regional success along the Texas coast. Britt, an accomplished artist, and proud father of yet another Pyeatt boy, who is showing musical promise at a young age, speaks of his music in artistic terms. “I look at different musical genres as landscapes, and the more you paint the better you get.” I think an audience will be entertained by our Texas/Southern Rock/ Roots music, with the edge that I enjoy with Metal and Hard Rock.” Britt plays bass, guitar, and drums.Middle brother Jake, 21, has been making his mark on the Texas Music scene since he was 17. Following his graduation from Brazoswood High School, Jake relocated to Temple and lived with his father and stepmother. He attended Temple College, but found that his college schedule was interfering with his many offers to “fill in” for gigs. His guitar ability was quickly picked up on by Central Texas musicians, and it wasn’t long before his calendar was full. Jake has played guitar for Rich O’Toole, Rex Robards, Steve Tenpenny, and is currently lead guitarist for Matt Martindale. “I have always dreamed of playing with my brothers”, Jake states. We have that “brother” harmony along with the ability to read each other’s minds musically. I can see us playing a little Western Swing, with a helping of jazz, blues, and traditional country thrown in. The Sultans of the South will fit everybody’s musical taste. If they stay long enough, they will hear it all.”Mitchell, 19, the youngest member of The Sultans of the South started picking out tunes on the piano at around 4-5 years of age. Although Mitchell’s goal as a young boy was to play professional football, he admits “When I was a Junior in high school I finally realized that I just wasn’t big enough to play college football, so I became interested in what I knew best, music.” Mitchell, the self appointed comedian of the three is the full time drummer for the Sultans of the South. “I play guitar, piano, bass, and trumpet, but I like drums best because they are big and loud. I drove everybody in the family crazy learning, and I kind of liked that”, he states. When asked his favorite quote, the youngest Pyeatt quickly responds, “you break it…you Pyeatt.”When this writer asked the four Pyeatt men, father included, to sum up their feelings about Jake Pyeatt and the Sultans of the South, the answer was the same. “It’s a dream come true.” Father, Rodney Pyeatt, who was interviewed by phone while on a 25-day tour of the West Coast with Stoney Larue, said about his boys, ”It’s been in the back of my mind forever, having them all play together. It’s exciting and I want to help them as much as I can, but they don’t need much help. It’s one thing to be as technically talented as they are, but they play with real conviction and soul. They play and write with the maturity level of old men.”This is a debut year for Jake Pyeatt and the Sultans of the South…. well, publicly anyway. Our ears are in for a treat and our musical IQ will increase by, well, about a million points.