The SteelDrivers were a Nashville-based bluegrass band that formed around 2007-2008, led by vocalist Chris Stapleton alongside Mike Henderson (guitar), Richard Bailey (banjo), Tammy Rogers (fiddle), and Brent Truitt (mandolin). Their debut album received Grammy nominations; their second album Thinkin' of a Song (2009) earned two more Grammy nominations, confirming them as one of the more significant bluegrass bands of the period and establishing Stapleton's vocal reputation beyond the Nashville publishing world where he had been working.
What distinguished the SteelDrivers from most contemporary bluegrass acts was Stapleton's voice. Trained on Kentucky gospel, country radio, and the blues, it brought a soulfulness to bluegrass that was unusual in a genre that often prized technical precision over emotional rawness.
The Bluegrass-Soul Hybrid
The blues and bluegrass traditions had common roots in the American South, sharing guitar, banjo, and fiddle instrumentation and various harmonic and melodic vocabulary. But they had developed in parallel commercial streams that rarely crossed in contemporary form. The SteelDrivers' synthesis was genuine rather than calculated: Stapleton wrote and sang from a place that absorbed both traditions deeply.
Songs like "Midnight Train to Memphis," "Good Corn Liquor," and "If It Hadn't Been for Love" had the melodic and harmonic structure of traditional bluegrass but the vocal delivery and emotional temperature of soul. This combination was what the Grammy voters recognized, and what listeners who discovered the band remembered.
According to Grammy records and coverage from Bluegrass Unlimited and related publications, the nominations for Best Bluegrass Album for both their debut and Thinkin' of a Song were significant recognitions of the hybrid's quality and its reception within the bluegrass community specifically.
Rounder Records
The SteelDrivers recorded for Rounder Records, one of the most respected independent labels in American folk and roots music. Rounder's bluegrass roster and its prestige within the acoustic music world gave the SteelDrivers' recordings appropriate industry context.
The label's endorsement was meaningful for the band in terms of distribution, press access, and the specific credibility that came from being on a label associated with Doc Watson, Alison Krauss, and bluegrass tradition.
Stapleton's Departure
Stapleton left the SteelDrivers in 2010 to focus on his solo career, which would eventually produce Traveller in 2015 and his mainstream country breakthrough. The SteelDrivers continued with a new vocalist and remained active, demonstrating that the band identity was more than the sum of one exceptional vocalist.
But the Thinkin' of a Song period represented the fullest realization of the original hybrid concept, and it documented a specific moment when one of the most gifted vocalists in country music was applying his skills in an unexpected bluegrass context.
---
FAQ
What was the SteelDrivers' lineup during this period? Chris Stapleton (vocals), Mike Henderson (guitar), Richard Bailey (banjo), Tammy Rogers (fiddle), and Brent Truitt (mandolin).
How many Grammy nominations did the band receive? Their debut received Grammy nominations, and Thinkin' of a Song received two more Grammy nominations for Best Bluegrass Album.
What made their sound distinctive in bluegrass? Stapleton's soul-influenced vocal delivery brought an emotional rawness to bluegrass that was unusual in a genre that often prized technical precision over emotional temperature.
What label released their recordings? Rounder Records, one of the most respected independent labels in American folk and roots music.
What happened when Stapleton left the band? He departed in 2010 to focus on his solo career. The SteelDrivers continued with a new lead vocalist and remained active as a band.
More from the Americana desk
Honest, working reporting on the business of independent music from From The Stem.
Visit the Americana vertical →