Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys

roots · rock · folk

Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys is a Southern California roots band formed in 1988 and fronted by Robert Williams, who performs as Big Sandy. Williams grew up on the jump blues records in his parents' collection and began playing with neo-rockabilly groups around Anaheim during the early-1980s rockabilly revival. The band started as a trio and issued its first records as Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Trio before expanding and taking the Fly-Rite Boys name. Guitarist Ashley Kingman has been the longest-running of Williams' collaborators; earlier lineups included Wally Hersom on bass, Lee Jeffriess on steel guitar and Bobby Trimble on drums, while more recent rosters have featured Frankie Hernandez and Russell Scott. The group signed to Hightone Records, where its proper debut Jumping from 6 to 6 arrived in 1994 with former Blasters guitarist Dave Alvin producing, followed by Swingin' West in 1995, Feelin' Kinda Lucky in 1997 and Night Tide in 2000. The band later moved to Yep Roc, releasing It's Time! in 2003. Across those records the sound widens well past rockabilly and Western swing to take in honky-tonk country, bluegrass, Cajun two-steps, doo-wop-inflected R&B and mariachi, held together by Williams' crooning baritone and a rhythm section that swings rather than merely drives. The band has been inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, tours regularly in the United States and Europe, and in 2024 contributed music to Disney's Country Bear Musical Jamboree at the Magic Kingdom.

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