The Red Clay Strays crossed off a major item on the bucket list of any touring band in August. Following an appearance at this year's CMA Fest
, they sold out a headlining show at New York City's iconic Madison Square Garden. This week they'll reach another career milestone which might actually be harder for them to imagine: back-to-back sold-out nights at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 22 and 23.The two-night stand is part of the band's ongoing Grateful Tour, which finds the group playing arenas for the first time. Not long ago, their mix of country, soul and gospel was moving spirits on much smaller Nashville stages.
"We're rocking and rolling," lead singer Brandon Coleman told The Tennessean alongside bandmates Andrew Bishop (bass)
and Drew Nix (guitar) before heading to another concert in Fort Worth, Texas.
"It's been the biggest shows we've ever played, biggest tour we've ever put together," Bishop added. "It's a big old machine now."
Who are The Red Clay Strays?
The Red Clay Strays "machine" has humble beginnings in Mobile, Ala., where six friends came together in 2016. Also featuring John Hall (drums), Zach Rishel (guitar) and Sevans Henderson (keys), their gritty combination of soul, country and bluesy tunes has led to comparisons with artists like Chris Stapleton. The two acts even share a producer in Grammy winner Dave Cobb. Their 2022 single "Wondering Why" went viral on TikTok in late 2023. That hit peaked as a triple-platinum No. 1, mixing old-school rock and Southern soul.
From adding a gospel choir and vintage organ textures to tracks in their 2026 album "Grateful," what The Red Clay Strays do now is certainly unique. Currently reigning as both the CMA vocal group of the year, and the ACM group of the year, the band has the rare distinction of first charting on the Billboard alternative rock chart and then earning acclaim from the Americana Music Association (emerging artist of the year 2024), before finally being embraced in commercial country.
Coleman, the statuesque frontman, at times sounds like a reincarnated Delta bluesman, with the electrifying spiritual fire of a tent-revival preacher. It's a style that's particularly powerful on stage, especially when paired with a message of combined "hope and despair" on popular songs like "Wanna Be Loved" or "Drowning."
"I was raised in church and I started playing music in church, as far as playing in front of people and performing, playing the drums and piano and stuff," Coleman explained.
To Nix, that is no coincidence. The band tries to convert concertgoers into followers each night ... or maybe more.
"Our songs aren't necessarily worship songs, but they are worshiping," Nix said. "My prayer every day is to bring somebody to Jesus by the end of the night."
The Red Clay Strays have Nashville history
The band's live shows have guided their career, and Nashville has long been a part of that journey. Early shows included venues like The "O.G." Basement (capacity 150) in 2019. The Red Clay Strays performed at 3rd & Lindsley as recently as 2023. Then they jumped to three sold-out nights at the Ryman Auditorium in 2024, where they recorded for the album, "Live At The Ryman." Now, it's full steam ahead for a rare double dip at Bridgestone.
"I didn't really expect it, to be honest with you," said Coleman about the back-to-back sellouts. "I thought maybe we can swing one [night at Bridgestone] if we curtain off some sections. But man, we did two."
"That's pretty cool to do double arenas in our first year of ever doing arenas in the first place," Bishop added.
Agents Alex Collignon and Kanan Vitolo of WME have been booking The Red Clay Strays for years. They told The Tennessean watching the band grow through their live show has been eye-opening.
“You don’t often see an act grow as fast as this band has. Watch them live, though, and you can see the thousands of hours they’ve poured into their craft," said Collignon. "There’s quite literally no one else like them.”
Even after the last few years of growth, the members of The Red Clay Strays said their Bridgestone Arena shows will be special. Both sold-out nights will be opened by Sierra Ferrell and Brent Cobb, with Coleman predicting a revelatory roots-rock experience.
“As an agent, it’s a really special thing to watch an artist refuse to skip a single step and build a business that’s completely authentic to who they are," added Vitolo, who also called out fans passionate enough to help spread the word at each level. "That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident — it’s the result of a band, a team and a fanbase building something together.”
The band is also returning to the CMA Awards on Nov. 18, this time to defend their title as vocal group of the year, and it all follows the June release of their third album, "Grateful." After climbing the ladder of Music City venues, "grateful" is the right word for how they're feeling.
"It's really hard out there right now. The economy's not great, and I think a lot of people are struggling," Coleman said. "Just the fact that people are showing up ... is a huge honor because we've definitely been there."
"It keeps us driving to make a good show for these people," said Bishop. "We're always at the top of our game when we're on stage. We don't want to disappoint those people."
Chris Parton is a music reporter for The Tennessean. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram @partonikusmax.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: The Red Clay Strays and the real story of their breakthrough | Exclusive
