Biography
Stoney LaRue fuses the grounded emotional directness of country with the rowdy bravado of heartland rock and subtle blues shadows running beneath the surface. As a foundational figure in the Southwestern Red Dirt movement, he could deliver brash, swagger-filled performances on releases such as the 2005 studio effort The Red Dirt Album and the 2007 concert recording Live at Billy Bob's Texas, or shift toward intimate introspection on 2011's Velvet and 2019's Onward, yet his distinctive vocal rasp and engaging stage presence remained steady anchors across the discography.
Born in Taft, Texas, to a musically inclined household where his father performed bass in regional groups, LaRue absorbed country and Southern rock influences that later shaped his sound. During his teenage years the family relocated to Oklahoma, where he eventually joined the Red Dirt circle in Stillwater alongside kindred artists including Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jason Boland, and Mike McClure.
He assembled the Organic Boogie Band and began headlining clubs and dancehalls across Oklahoma and Texas, building a devoted audience through energetic live sets. In 2002 he issued his debut, Downtown, captured at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa before an invited crowd. That release served as an effective introduction, prompting the group to maintain a rigorous touring schedule of nearly 300 shows annually, until LaRue paused to cut his first proper studio album in 2005. Titled The Red Dirt Album, it drew strong critical response and highlighted his growing songwriting abilities.
Spring 2007 brought his next project, the live album Live at Billy Bob's Texas, documenting a 2006 performance at the landmark Fort Worth hall. Following a period with only a live EP, he returned in 2011 with the studio album Velvet on B Side Music Group, his first to appear on the Billboard charts at a peak of number 53. Background vocals on Miranda Lambert's 2013 single "All Kinds of Kinds" expanded his reach, leading to the 2014 eOne release Aviator, which also charted respectably.
For 2015's Us Time, LaRue invited fans to shape the tracklist, mixing covers, established audience favorites, and previously unrecorded songs popular in concert. That same year he faced arrest on domestic abuse charges; although his girlfriend contested the official account, he released a statement that included the lines, "I want to apologize to my family, my friends and my fans for the recent circumstances that have come to light. I am going to take some time to work on myself." Four years later he resurfaced with the reflective Onward.
Born in Taft, Texas, to a musically inclined household where his father performed bass in regional groups, LaRue absorbed country and Southern rock influences that later shaped his sound. During his teenage years the family relocated to Oklahoma, where he eventually joined the Red Dirt circle in Stillwater alongside kindred artists including Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jason Boland, and Mike McClure.
He assembled the Organic Boogie Band and began headlining clubs and dancehalls across Oklahoma and Texas, building a devoted audience through energetic live sets. In 2002 he issued his debut, Downtown, captured at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa before an invited crowd. That release served as an effective introduction, prompting the group to maintain a rigorous touring schedule of nearly 300 shows annually, until LaRue paused to cut his first proper studio album in 2005. Titled The Red Dirt Album, it drew strong critical response and highlighted his growing songwriting abilities.
Spring 2007 brought his next project, the live album Live at Billy Bob's Texas, documenting a 2006 performance at the landmark Fort Worth hall. Following a period with only a live EP, he returned in 2011 with the studio album Velvet on B Side Music Group, his first to appear on the Billboard charts at a peak of number 53. Background vocals on Miranda Lambert's 2013 single "All Kinds of Kinds" expanded his reach, leading to the 2014 eOne release Aviator, which also charted respectably.
For 2015's Us Time, LaRue invited fans to shape the tracklist, mixing covers, established audience favorites, and previously unrecorded songs popular in concert. That same year he faced arrest on domestic abuse charges; although his girlfriend contested the official account, he released a statement that included the lines, "I want to apologize to my family, my friends and my fans for the recent circumstances that have come to light. I am going to take some time to work on myself." Four years later he resurfaced with the reflective Onward.
Albums
Singles
