Biography
The Backsliders formed in North Carolina during 1994 as an alternative-traditional country-rock outfit whose lineup included guitarist Steve Howell, frontman and acoustic guitarist Chip Robinson, bassist Danny Kurtz, drummer Jeff Dennis, and guitarist Brad Rice. Howell and Robinson, drawing inspiration from Buck Owens, Webb Pierce, and the honky-tonk ethos, assembled the group and began performing in local clubs while each maintained outside commitments. Robinson was then active in a rock band, whereas Howell belonged to the traditional bluegrass ensemble Shady Grove Band, which issued the Flying Fish album Mulberry Moon containing his composition “Mansion in the Sky.”
North Carolina club dates quickly built a loyal audience that likened the Backsliders to Gram Parsons, the Blasters, and Los Lobos—West Coast trailblazers of American roots music. The band stood in direct opposition to Nashville’s polished productions, in which ’70s rock influences overshadowed Lefty Frizzell and George Jones, and likewise diverged from the self-pitying posture of many contemporary rock acts by routinely out-energizing those performers onstage. Embracing an upbeat outlook and championing shuffle rhythms and twang, the Backsliders began regular Southeast tours. Return engagements at Raleigh’s Brewery consistently drew capacity crowds eager to hear hometown musicians.
Those performances secured the group’s debut release on Mammoth Records, the six-song EP From Raleigh, NC, which captured the intensity that had elevated their profile. Their first full-length album, Throwin’ Rocks at the Moon, appeared on Mammoth in January 1997 after being tracked at Mad Dog Studios in early fall 1996 under the direction of West Coast producer Pete Anderson. Anderson cited the strength of the songwriting as his reason for signing on and then extracted the fullest measure of the band’s abilities.
Once the album was finished, internal tensions fractured the lineup until Robinson remained the sole original member. He cut the 1999 release Southern Lines primarily as a solo effort, though it still carried the Backsliders name.
North Carolina club dates quickly built a loyal audience that likened the Backsliders to Gram Parsons, the Blasters, and Los Lobos—West Coast trailblazers of American roots music. The band stood in direct opposition to Nashville’s polished productions, in which ’70s rock influences overshadowed Lefty Frizzell and George Jones, and likewise diverged from the self-pitying posture of many contemporary rock acts by routinely out-energizing those performers onstage. Embracing an upbeat outlook and championing shuffle rhythms and twang, the Backsliders began regular Southeast tours. Return engagements at Raleigh’s Brewery consistently drew capacity crowds eager to hear hometown musicians.
Those performances secured the group’s debut release on Mammoth Records, the six-song EP From Raleigh, NC, which captured the intensity that had elevated their profile. Their first full-length album, Throwin’ Rocks at the Moon, appeared on Mammoth in January 1997 after being tracked at Mad Dog Studios in early fall 1996 under the direction of West Coast producer Pete Anderson. Anderson cited the strength of the songwriting as his reason for signing on and then extracted the fullest measure of the band’s abilities.
Once the album was finished, internal tensions fractured the lineup until Robinson remained the sole original member. He cut the 1999 release Southern Lines primarily as a solo effort, though it still carried the Backsliders name.
Albums
