The Red Clay Strays
Gulf Coast southern rock with a frontman who sounds like he learned to sing in a revival tent — 'Wondering Why' the slow-burn breakout.
The Red Clay Strays formed in Mobile, Alabama, in 2016 as the successor to an earlier cover band, built around singer Brandon Coleman, bassist Andrew Bishop and guitarist Drew Nix. Drummer John Hall and guitarist Zach Rishel joined soon after, filling out a lineup that has anchored the band since. The group played southern rock, country and soul, leaning on gospel and rockabilly phrasing.
Coleman's voice, big, quavering and closer to Elvis or a revival preacher than to contemporary Nashville, remains the group's most recognisable feature. Onstage the band favours long, loose arrangements built on twin guitars and a steady, unhurried backbeat, songs stretched out rather than tightened for radio.
After signing with Ontourage Management in 2019, the band released the single 'Good Godly Woman,' later featured in the film Doctor Sleep, followed by 'No Way to Know' and 'Will the Lord Remember Me' in 2020. COVID-19 lockdowns forced them off the road just as that momentum was building.
Their debut album, Moment of Truth, was funded largely through crowdfunding and recorded in Huntsville, Alabama, then self-released in April 2022 to little initial notice. The band signed with talent agency WME in 2023, joined the label Thirty Tigers that May, and put out a live EP, Live AF, in August.
'Wondering Why,' pulled from that debut, went viral on TikTok in September 2023 and became the band's first Billboard Hot 100 entry that December. RCA Records signed the band in 2024, the year they released second album Made by These Moments, produced by Dave Cobb and led by the single 'Wanna Be Loved.' They also contributed 'Caddo County' to the Twisters soundtrack and issued the single 'People Hatin'' in late 2025.
The Red Clay Strays at a glance
Where is The Red Clay Strays from?
The Red Clay Strays is from Mobile, AL.
What kind of music does The Red Clay Strays play?
The Red Clay Strays is tagged southern rock and country soul.
What festivals has The Red Clay Strays played before?
The Red Clay Strays has played Bourbon & Beyond 2026, CMA Fest 2026, Stagecoach 2026.
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Larkin PoeJason Isbell and the 400 UnitCody JohnsonUncle LuciusLainey WilsonS.G. GoodmanPost MaloneFoo FightersBrooks & DunnMumford & SonsHootie & the BlowfishChris Stapleton
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S.G. GoodmanAlabama ShakesMy Morning JacketLarkin PoeBlackberry SmokeBrothers OsborneJason Isbell and the 400 UnitLee BainsTedeschi Trucks BandThe Warren Haynes IncidentTravis TrittUncle Lucius
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