The Red Clay Strays
are an American country rock band formed in Mobile, Alabama in 2016 by lead singer Brandon Coleman, bassist Andrew Bishop, and guitarist Drew Nix. They are best known for their 2022 single "Wondering Why", which saw success in late 2023 after going viral on the social media platform TikTok. The song became their first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 71.

The Red Clay Strays recently expanded their 2026 schedule with a series of headlining arena dates that include milestone stops at Madison Square Garden and TD Garden following their spring festival run. As the headliner, they are joined by a diverse group of special guests such as The Revivalists, Brent Cobb, and Sierra Ferrell, delivering a high-energy setlist that centers on "Wondering Why," "Ramblin'," and "Wanna Be Loved."

Formed in 2016 as a successor to a Gulf Coast cover band, the Red Clay Strays spent five years building a grassroots following through relentless touring before crowdfunding $50,000 to record their 2022 debut album "Moment of Truth." They bypassed a permanent move to Nashville, instead achieving a massive viral breakout when their soulful ballad "Wondering Why" exploded on TikTok in late 2023 and became their first Billboard Hot 100 entry. This independent success led to a major label signing with RCA Records in 2024 and their Dave Cobb-produced sophomore album "Made by These Moments," which helped them secure the 2025 CMA Vocal Group of the Year title and a history-making 2026 arena headlining run.

Hailing from Mobile, Alabama, The Red Clay Strays – Brandon Coleman (lead vocals, guitar), Drew Nix (guitar and vocals), Zach Rishel (guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), John Hall (drums), bonded as young, working-class men raised on Lynyrd Skynyrd riffs. Anchored by Coleman, whose voice channels country gold and old-school rock ‘n’ roll soul, the Strays cut their teeth with gigs on sticky barroom floors. After meeting while touring with Elle King in 2023, Sevans Henderson, an Oklahoma native, joined the band on the road to play keys in February 2024.With a sound straddling fiery Southern rock riffs, tender-hearted soul music, and tried-and-true country crooning, the Strays rose from backroad Gulf Coast gigs to become one of the most sought-after acts in country and rock circles. The band self-released their debut album, Moment of Truth, in 2022, featuring a handful of what quickly became staple songs for the band: “Stone’s Throw,” “Do Me Wrong,” and “Wondering Why,” among others. “Wondering Why” gained viral attention, propelling into the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart and inside the top 20 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. The album also helped earn the band the win for ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ at the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards.The success of Moment of Truth led to the Strays inking a deal with RCA Records and enlisting Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb – known for his work with Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, and more – to produce their latest studio album, Made by These Moments. Cut at Cobb’s home studio in Savannah, Georgia, the 11-track album is packed with songs like “Wanna Be Loved,” “Drowning,” “No One Else Like Me,” and more with the power to pull listeners from couches and long commutes to feel like they’re sitting next to the band at a rowdy recording session. Receiving universal acclaim upon release, Made by These Moments marked the band’s first entry in the Billboard 200 and bowing in the top 10 of the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, with NPR praising the record as “a haunting callback to classic outlaw country with a rock ‘n’ roll edge,” while Rolling Stone heralded it as “refreshingly muscular and redemptively soulful.” The group made their television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with additional performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS Saturday Morning, and NPR’s Tiny Desk. The band also earned their first CMA nomination for ‘Vocal Group Of The Year’ and took home a Billboard Music Award for ‘Top Country Group.’The band celebrated the release of Made by These Moments by taking the project on the road with their sold-out ‘These Moments Tour’ in the UK, Australia and North America, bringing their magnetic live show across the globe with festival stops at Austin City Limits and Railbird Music Festival as well as a three-night headline debut at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, during which they recorded their first live album, Live At The Ryman. Declared by American Songwriter as “one of the buzziest bands in the land,” this year the Strays keep the hits coming with two sold-out nights at Red Rocks, festival appearances at Under The Big Sky and CMA Festival, and a homecoming lap of three nights headlining The Wharf in Alabama to only then go on to sell out every single performance on the band’s “Get Right Tour” in both North America and across the pond for the EU/UK addition of the tour. The band has no signs of slowing down and concreted that upward momentum with their most recent single release, “People Hatin’”, which they announced on The Joe Rogan Experience, where they delved into its meaning and the purpose behind releasing the song in an extended conversation. The world is now taking notice and listening closely to the small town rock ‘n roll band out of Mobile, AL.