Red Clay Strays: We Can’t Get Enough of This AL-Based Band!
Southern blues-y rock band Red Clay Strays has been exploding on the scene lately. Here’s everything you need to know about the Alabama group — including upcoming Southern tour dates! Image: Facebook / Red Clay Strays
It’s been a banner year for the Red Clay Strays, one that in-the-know publications like Billboard and Rolling Stone knew was coming, but that the Alabama band will never take for granted. They just snagged the title of ‘Best New Group’ at the 60th Annual Country Music Association Awards (CMAs) with a unique sound that is clearly hitting all the right notes with fans across the globe, selling out shows everywhere from their hometown of Mobile, AL, all the way to Australia.
The Red Clay Strays’ story began in 2016, when the band started trying out a few original songs in their set list of covers, gradually amassing a following in Mobile and throughout the Southeast. In 2019, their song “Good Godly Woman” was featured in the movie “Doctor Sleep,” starring Ewan McGregor. This built momentum for the group and resulted in music festival bookings and other opportunities. Cut to 2020, when COVID-19 put a damper on it all, with concert venues canceling show after show.
In an interview with Alabama Public Radio, lead singer Brandon Coleman said, “I told everybody, ‘Y’all need to find something to do. Find a job or something, because shows are going away.’” The band went from being booked out months ahead to shaky gigs at the last minute. They returned primarily to local shows around Mobile rather than the gigs they’d become accustomed to booking across the country.
Tragedy also hit close to home in 2020 for the Red Clay Strays. That August, drummer John Hall lost his brother, Jacob, at just 23 years old. Jacob had been an honorary member of the crew, teaching guitarist Drew Nix how to play the harmonica and performing with the band often.
The hardship of 2020 prompted the group to turn raw human emotions into art. From the start, the Red Clay Strays was a band of the people, largely relying on crowdfunding for everything from fixing their modest first tour van (dubbed “The Breeze”) to recording their debut studio album, Moment of Truth, in 2022.
The band sought to serve the fans that had kept them going, recognizing that the energy of their live shows is one of their greatest assets. They chose to self-record the album live and use only analog equipment to capitalize on their throwback sound, inspired by their rock-and-roll heroes of the ’60s and ’70s. Their commitment to stick to their roots succeeded, and rumor has it their crowdfunding campaign for the album raised $60,000 in its first week.
As journalist Garrett K. Woodward accurately describes in his profile of the band for Rolling Stone, lead singer Brandon Coleman performs his “fire and brimstone vocals” with the passion and fervor of a charismatic preacher; their songs laced with religious themes in an often somber, other times rowdy mix of country rock and soulful blues.
“It’s self-expression,” Brandon Coleman told Rolling Stone, “I sing every song a little differently each night, depending on the show and how I’m feeling … I’m locked into the crowd.”
He’s joined by bassist Andrew Bishop, guitarist Drew Nix, drummer John Hall, guitarist Zach Rishel, and the newest member of the group, keyboardist and organist Sevans Henderson.
In 2023, their song “Wondering Why” went viral on TikTok, and the rest is history. The song climbed the charts, breaking into Billboard’s Hot 100.
The Red Clay Stray’s streaming success (to the tune of tens of millions on Spotify) led to a record deal with RCA records in 2024. The band stressed that signing with RCA was contingent upon maintaining their artistic integrity. “That was the number one thing … that they can’t tell us what to do,” bassist Andrew Bishop told AL.com. That summer, the band released their second studio album, Made by These Moments, and the album reached the number six spot on Billboard’s top Americana/Folk albums list.
Things seem to only be getting started for the Red Clay Strays. Last year, they took the title of Emerging Artist of the Year from the Americana Music Honors and Awards and were nominated for CMA’s Vocal Group of the Year. In addition to this year’s CMA title of Best New Group, they were also nominated for Group of the Year.
The band strives to keep everything in perspective, despite their recent success. Speaking with AL.com, Coleman said, “I think we’ve always felt like we’ve made it in a sense. We’ve been playing music and paying our bills … Just being able to do this is what we enjoy, what we’re thankful for, and take pride in.”
The Red Clay Strays Summer Tour
The band is currently on a sold-out tour in Australia (they’re selling out here in the South, too!), but will be back in the States for a summer tour featuring stops throughout the South before heading to Europe in the fall.
2025 Southern Tour Dates
May 31, Midnight | Gulf Coast Jam | Panama City Beach, FL
June 1, 11 p.m. | Railbird Music Festival 2025 | Lexington, KY
June 7, 8:30 p.m. | CMA Fest – Nissan Stadium | Nashville, TN
June 12 – 15, 2025 | Bonnaroo 2025 | Manchester, TN
June 14, 7 p.m. | Beech Mountain Resort Summer Concert Series | Beech Mountain, NC
SOLD OUT
July 3, 7 p.m. | The Wharf | Orange Beach, AL
SOLD OUT
July 4, 7 p.m. | The Wharf | Orange Beach, AL
July 5, 7 p.m.| The Wharf | Orange Beach, AL
August 15, 7 p.m. | Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park | Wilmington, NC
SOLD OUT
August 16, 7 p.m. | Red Hat Amphitheater | Raleigh, NC
SOLD OUT
August 20, 7 p.m. | The St. Augustine Amphitheatre | St. Augustine, FL
SOLD OUT
August 22, 7 p.m. | Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre | Charlotte, NC
SOLD OUT
August 24, 7 p.m. | Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront | Richmond, VA
SOLD OUT
September 25, 7 p.m. | The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory | Irving, TX
SOLD OUT
September 26, 7 p.m. | Cooks Garage | Lubbock, TX
SOLD OUT
September 28, 7 p.m. | Moody Amphitheater | Austin, TX
SOLD OUT
October 10, 8 p.m. | Riverfront Revival Music Festival 2025 | North Charleston, SC
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Katie Leigh Matthews
A Birmingham native, Katie is a lifelong waterfall chaser and is passionate about the outdoors. She also loves connecting with remarkable women in the Birmingham community and bringing their stories to life. Katie has been writing professionally for over six years; you can find more of her work at Moms.com and Islands.com.