* En anglais uniquement
Whiskey Myers kept the sound of the South alive in the 2010s, turbo-charging the sound of
Lynyrd Skynyrd and
Hank Williams, Jr. that earned them a strong cult following within the margins of Texas' Red Dirt country scene.
Hailing from the East Texas town of Palestine,
Whiskey Myers first formed when friends
Cody Cannon (lead vocalist/guitarist) and
John Jeffers (guitarist) began jamming with fellow guitarist
Cody Tate. They soon started gigging under the name Lucky Southern. Planning to attend college, the three relocated to Tyler, Texas, but once there, the trio added bassist Gary Brown and drummer
Jeff Hogg and renamed themselves
Whiskey Myers.
Around 2007,
Whiskey Myers began working the Red Dirt circuit in East Texas, building up a solid following via their own concerts and opening gigs for the likes of the
Eli Young Band. Signing to Smith Entertainment, the combo released their debut, Road of Life, in 2008. They launched their own imprint, Wiggy Thump, for 2011's
Firewater.
Firewater gave the group their first big break, reaching number four on Billboard's Heatseekers chart and 26 on their Country Albums chart. The album helped establish the band as a force in Texas, reaching number one on the Texas music charts and leading them to win Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2012 LoneStarMusic awards.
Produced by
Dave Cobb,
Early Morning Shakes arrived in early 2014, and it pushed the band toward a wider audience, peaking at ten on Billboard's Country Albums chart. Two years later, they reunited with
Cobb for 2016's
Mud, which also featured the band's new member, percussionist Tony Kent, along with contributions from fiddler/keyboardist Jon Knudson.
Mud debuted at number four on the Country Albums chart. Following the release of
Mud, bassist Gary Brown left the band; he was replaced by Jamey Gleaves.
Whiskey Myers appeared in four episodes of Yellowstone, a Paramount Network series featuring
Kevin Costner. This raised the group's profile, helping
Mud re-enter the charts.
The band produced their eponymous 2019 studio album themselves and it was a surprise hit upon its October release, debuting at six on the Billboard Top 200. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine