Steppin' in It originated as a roots-oriented group based in Lansing, Michigan. Its current configuration centers on singer and guitarist Joshua Davis, standup bassist Dominic John Suchyta, harmonica player Andy Wilson, and steel guitarist Joe Wilson. The initial formation took shape in early 1998 without Joe Wilson; instead, the lineup featured Joshua Davis, Dominic John Suchyta, Andy Wilson, and Joe Khalifah, who handled both drums and banjo. By 2000 Bob Bryan had taken over the drum chair, fiddler Jonathan Price joined, and Joe Wilson came aboard as well. That year the band issued its first recording, Children Take Your Shoes Off, through Hippo Coop Records, an imprint the members themselves established for the project. The following year the group reduced to its present four-piece format so it could emphasize acoustic textures more fully.
Both Wilson brothers held positions at Elderly Instruments, the storied Lansing music shop, and the musicians have repeatedly cited the store’s extensive collection of stringed instruments as a decisive influence on their sound and on the band’s very beginnings. In 2002 Steppin' in It delivered Last Winter in the Copper Country on the same Hippo Coop imprint, followed in 2004 by Hidden in the Lowlands, also on Hippo Coop; the latter collection closed with Woody Guthrie’s “Pastures of Plenty” and “Bound for Glory.” Joshua Davis issued a solo album in 2005. Two years later the group partnered with vocalist Rachael Davis—no relation to Joshua, though she had married Dominic John Suchyta, who adopted her surname in October 2009—to create the ensemble Shout Sister Shout and produce a 1940s jazz-oriented record that appeared in 2007.
Steppin' in It resurfaced in 2008 with Simple Tunes for Troubled Times, an album shaped by the sound of The Band and released on Earthwork Music, the Northern Michigan collective devoted to roots artists. Throughout their acoustic years the musicians have also maintained a weekly electric engagement, holding a steady Monday-night slot at Lansing’s Green Door since 1999 alongside drummer John Cassidy and organist Mike Lynch, known professionally as Larry McCray/The Lash. Beginning in 2009 the band began presenting itself on the road in both quartet and sextet configurations. In addition, Steppin' in It earned recognition as an accomplished support unit, backing artists such as Greg Brown, Ellis Paul, Peter Mulvey, and Jeff Daniels. Joe Wilson has occasionally toured with Wayne Hancock, while Dominic John Suchyta has performed with Daniel Johnston and recorded alongside his childhood friend Jack White. As 2014 opened, lead singer and guitarist Josh Davis departed and was succeeded by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Elden Kelly.
