BR549
| BR549 | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | Country, rockabilly, Western swing, alternative country |
| Years active | 1993–2006, 2012 |
| Labels | Arista Nashville, Lucky Dog, Dualtone |
| Associated acts | Hillbilly Casino |
| Past members | Gary Bennett Geoff Firebaugh Don Herron "Smilin'" Jay McDowell Chuck Mead Mark Miller Chris Scruggs Jim "Bones" Becker Mark Ude "Hawk" Shaw Wilson |
BR549 (originally spelled BR5-49) was an American country music band. Founded in 1993, the band originally comprised Gary Bennett (lead and background vocals, acoustic guitar), Don Herron (steel guitar, Dobro, fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar), "Smilin'" Jay McDowell (upright bass), Chuck Mead (lead and background vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar), and "Hawk" Shaw Wilson (drums, background vocals). Bennett and McDowell left the band in 2001, with Chris Scruggs and Geoff Firebaugh respectively replacing them. Both Firebaugh and Scruggs later left the band as well; Mark Miller has become the band's third bassist.
BR549 has released six albums and two EPs, including three albums on Arista Nashville and two on Dualtone Records. The band's self-titled debut album produced three singles on the Billboard country charts in 1996. The band was nominated three times for the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Before moving to Nashville and forming BR5-49, Chuck Mead played in a band called Homestead Grays, a roots-rock outfit based in his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. Gary Bennett, meanwhile fronted an informal band that played at Robert's Western Wear, a clothing store in Nashville, Tennessee, when he met Mead at a nearby bar. The two then decided to form a band officially, and completing the lineup were electric bassist Jim "Bones" Becker, then upright bassist "Smilin'" Jay McDowell (formerly of another band called Hellbilly), multi-instrumentalist Don Herron, and drummer "Hawk" Shaw Wilson. They assumed the name BR5-49 (from the telephone number of a used car dealer in a running Junior Samples comedy sketch on the television series Hee Haw), and began playing for tips at Robert's before being discovered by Arista Nashville in 1995.
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