While bluegrass music has a following in the area, there are some who have a stereotyped idea of the genre as squarely in the country and Nashville vein. That’s where the SteelDrivers like to bring other influences including soul, rock and blues along with the bluegrass and country.
“We like to color outside the lines of typical bluegrass grooves,” said SteelDrivers fiddle player Tammy Rogers. “All of us have played other styles. We’re on our fourth lead singer, and they all who came from outside the bluegrass world. I love doing so many styles.”
The SteelDrivers have used that to create their own original material and sound that has resulted in four Grammy Award nominations and a win for Best Bluegrass Album in 2015. Country star Chris Stapleton was one of the founding members and original singer prior to leaving for a solo career.
Rogers, banjo player Richard Bailey and bassist Mike Fleming are all original members, while mandolin player Brent Truitt and lead vocalist and guitarist Matt Dame round out the current lineup.
It’s the love of the music that has kept the SteelDrivers driving away for two decades. Rogers said each performer has equal say in the music and nobody is treated like a side player.
Expect a show that will commemorate the band’s career with a retrospective of its past with some new songs from their latest album, “Outrun,” which came out last spring on Sun Records, the label that once boasted legends like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis.
“How can you turn down being labelmates with people like Elvis and Johnny Cash,” Rogers said.
Rogers said the group is looking forward to getting back to Ohio, which has strong bluegrass ties. She suggests if people keep an open mind no matter what their preferred genre of music is, they’ll likely respond to the SteelDrivers.
“We just go out and put on a great show with great enthusiasm and being authentic to ourselves and audiences respond to authenticity, passion and emotion,” she said.
Tickets cost $25, $35 and $45. To purchase tickets or for more information, go to pac.clarkstate.edu/shows/2025-2026/.
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