Red Dirt Town, a new album from the Red Dirt Rangers, is available on all major streaming platforms. Released Friday, October 10, the album was recorded at Ripley Farm Studio in Pawnee County and produced by the band and Jared Tyler.
Born on a 149-acre piece of land affectionately known as "The Farm" on the outskirts of Stillwater, OK in the late 1970s, Red Dirt music has spread across the nation and beyond, with established artists like the Turnpike Troubadours and Cross Canadian Ragweed filling stadiums, while rising stars like Wyatt Flores and Josh Meloy take their place in the spotlight. The Red Dirt Rangers - Ben Han (lead guitar, vocals), John Cooper (mandolin, vocals) and Brad Piccolo (guitar, vocals) - were there from the beginning, playing their own mix of the funky blend of country, bluegrass, rock, and honky tonk that loosely defines the genre.
The band’s latest album features eleven tracks, which are a mix of originals written or co-written by each of the RDR members and select covers. Several of the songs were written with close friends of the band who have since passed, including the title track, “Red Dirt Town,” which was co-written by Piccolo and Cooper with their fellow Red Dirt musician, the now deceased singer songwriter, Brandon Jenkins.
“Brandon reached out on a rainy day for help with a tune he was working on. We got together and finished it that day,” Cooper recalls. “It’s a tale of leaving home to chase a dream, only to find out coming back home is really the dream. What a blessing to have written this with our dear brother Brandon.”
“Lighten Up,” the second song on the album, was co-written by Piccolo with de facto RDR member, bassist Don Morris, who passed away in 2024.
“I wrote this song with my friend and Red Dirt Rangers bass player of over two decades, Don Morris,” says Piccolo. “I was going through a gut-wrenching breakup, and Don asked me to come over and write a song. It’s about letting go and rising above the heartache.”
In addition to the band, Red Dirt Town features some special guests, including Grammy-nominated John Fullbright, Shelby Eicher (Roy Clark) and Evan Felker (Turnpike Troubadours). The album, which is dedicated to the memory of Don Morris, was mixed by Colton Jean and mastered by Raelynn Janicke.
Catch the band in concert.
- Oct. 17 & 18 in Stillwater
- Oct. 24 at Perkin’s Cimarron Breeze Concert Series (album release party)
- Nov. 8 at Tulsa’s Cain’s Ballroom for the Horton Records 12th Annual Rock-N-Folk-N-Chili Cook off
Red Dirt Town, a new album from Red Dirt pioneers, the Red Dirt Rangers, is available on all major streaming platforms.
Vinyl pre-orders available soon. | Listen to the album on spotify here.
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