BR549

BR549 has always been a band that lived, played and triumphed outside the lines. The band began in the mid-90s on Nashville’s then-seedy Lower Broadway where the original quintet began playing marathon sets in the window of Robert’s Western World. The band was quickly signed by Arista, for whom they recorded three acclaimed albums and one legendary live EP. By the end of the decade, they’d earned three Grammy nominations, performed all over network television and toured internationally with acts ranging from Faith Hill & Tim McGraw to Ani DeFranco and The Black Crowes. Yet following the 2001 release of their sole Sony album, the band was rocked by the departure of original bassist Jay McDowell and co-founder/co-lead vocalist Gary Bennett.
The group disbanded and Chuck, Shaw and Donnie returned to Lower Broadway to play weekly gigs with badass musical collective The Hillbilly All-Stars. The three were soon revitalized to again play music within an unpredictable scene, leading them to reform BR549 in 2004 with bassist Geoff Firebaugh and singer/guitarist Chris Scruggs for their Dualtone debut Tangled In The Pines. But following victorious tours of the U.S. and Europe (marred only by two separate thefts of their instruments and gear), BR549 was faced with their ultimate challenge when Donnie Herron was invited by Bob Dylan to become the new fiddle and steel guitar player in his band. “It was a real test of our abilities as a family,” admits Mead. “Donnie went on the road with Dylan, Shaw moved to Arizona & I’d moved on to other projects. But for us, BR549 had always been something that needs to be respected and nothing we could ever take lightly.”
Following months of heart-to-heart phone calls, plate-spinning scheduling and the addition of new bassist Mark Miller, the band finally convened in Athens, GA in 2005 to record Dog Days. This album is the sound of a band with an unshakeable legacy of integrity and the still-stunning ability to rattle the foundations of Country. “Some people think that there’s a music rulebook that was written a long time ago,” says Wilson. “BR549 never owned a copy of that handbook, and never will.” “We never sold millions and millions of records, but we’ve sold enough to continue to do what we do,” agrees Mead. “And because we never did bullshit anybody, we still have friends and fans from the very beginning. We still work our asses off and there were plenty of times we’ve played 300 dates a year. We were always willing to do that for something we believed in. We still believe in BR549 and plenty of other people do, too. We owe it to them and us to keep it growing.”
"Cherokee Boogie" video:
"Wild One" video:
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