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BR549

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Released: Apr 22, 2009
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General Info

  • Genre: Americana / Country / Rock

    Location Nashville, Tennessee, Un

    Profile Views: 251711

    Last Login: 7/13/2012

    Member Since 1/23/2008

    Type of Label Unsigned

  • Bio

    BR549 has always been a band that lived, played and triumphed outside the lines. The band began in the mid-90s on Nashville's then-seedy Lower Broadway where the original quintet began playing marathon sets in the window of Robert's Western World. The band was quickly signed by Arista, for whom they recorded three acclaimed albums and one legendary live EP. By the end of the decade, they'd earned three Grammy nominations, performed all over network television and toured internationally with acts ranging from Faith Hill & Tim McGraw to Ani DeFranco and The Black Crowes. Yet following the 2001 release of their sole Sony album, the band was rocked by the departure of original bassist Jay McDowell and co-founder/co-lead vocalist Gary Bennett. The group disbanded and Chuck, Shaw and Donnie returned to Lower Broadway to play weekly gigs with badass musical collective The Hillbilly All-Stars. The three were soon revitalized to again play music within an unpredictable scene, leading them to reform BR549 in 2004 with bassist Geoff Firebaugh and singer/guitarist Chris Scruggs for their Dualtone debut Tangled In The Pines. But following victorious tours of the U.S. and Europe (marred only by two separate thefts of their instruments and gear), BR549 was faced with their ultimate challenge when Donnie Herron was invited by Bob Dylan to become the new fiddle and steel guitar player in his band. "It was a real test of our abilities as a family," admits Mead. "Donnie went on the road with Dylan, Shaw moved to Arizona & I'd moved on to other projects. But for us, BR549 had always been something that needs to be respected and nothing we could ever take lightly." Following months of heart-to-heart phone calls, plate-spinning scheduling and the addition of new bassist Mark Miller, the band finally convened in Athens, GA in 2005 to record Dog Days. This album is the sound of a band with an unshakeable legacy of integrity and the still-stunning ability to rattle the foundations of Country. "Some people think that there's a music rulebook that was written a long time ago," says Wilson. "BR549 never owned a copy of that handbook, and never will." "We never sold millions and millions of records, but we've sold enough to continue to do what we do," agrees Mead. "And because we never did bullshit anybody, we still have friends and fans from the very beginning. We still work our asses off and there were plenty of times we've played 300 dates a year. We were always willing to do that for something we believed in. We still believe in BR549 and plenty of other people do, too. We owe it to them and us to keep it growing." Please note this site is not maintained by BR549 but they do monitor it. If you would like to send private messages to BR549 or any of its members, please visit their individual websites or MySpace pages for the appropriate connections. Private messages sent to this page will not be delivered to the band. With that said, thanks for finding the greatest hillbilly band of all time on MySpace! Please post public comments so the band & other fans can read your messages. If you have suggestions, corrections or anything else you'd like for us to add please let us know. Welcome & enjoy! ~ BR Online Crew
  • Members

    PAST & PRESENT (in alphabetical order): Gary Bennett (guitar, vocals), Geoff Firebaugh (bass), Donnie Herron (fiddle, steel guitar, mandolin, etc.), Jay McDowell (bass), Chuck Mead (guitar, vocals), Mark Miller (bass, vocals), Chris Scruggs (guitar, vocals, steel guitar), Shaw Wilson (drums)
  • Influences

    The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Hank Williams, Carl Perkins, The Ramones, The Clash, Bob Wills, Tommy Duncan, The Delmore Brothers, Johnny Horton, Tom T. Hall, Charley Pride & John Fogerty... just to name a few
  • Sounds Like

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  1. BR549

    commented on BR549's profile

    "And they said it would never happen.... The original lineup of BR5-49 will reunite for one night. Join us in Nashville at The Woods Amphitheater at Fontenelle on July 28th. We'll be opening for The Old Crow Medicine Show."

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