Emerging from Nashville with a potent blend of outlaw country and vintage Southern rock energy, the Cadillac Three deliver raucous performances steeped in regional grit and unapologetic attitude. Their music pairs earthy guitar textures with driving rock rhythms to chronicle contemporary Southern experiences. The group refined their sound with added gloss on the 2016 release Bury Me in My Boots, embraced a rawer approach for 2017’s Legacy, and incorporated funk and disco elements into 2020’s Country Fuzz along with its swiftly issued counterpart Tabasco and Sweet Tea; they then amplified their volume on the 2023 effort The Years Go Fast.
The trio traces its origins to the rock outfit American Bang, assembled in 2005 by lead guitarist Ben Brown, drummer Neil Mason, singer-songwriter-guitarist Jaren Johnston, and bassist Kelby Ray. Initially operating as Bang Bang Bang, they issued the album I Shot the King that same year before adopting the American Bang name upon signing with Warner Bros. in 2006. Under that banner they put out the 2007 EP Move to the Music and the 2010 self-titled full-length on Reprise, yet after the latter failed to connect with listeners Brown pursued a solo path. The remaining members briefly performed as Cadillac Black until discovering the name was taken, at which point they aligned with Big Machine, settled on the Cadillac Three moniker, and launched their self-titled debut in spring 2013.
Beyond their own stage work, the Cadillac Three have supplied commercially viable songs for fellow artists, with Jaren Johnston co-writing “You’re Gonna Fly” for Keith Urban, “Southern Girl” for Tim McGraw, and “Days of Gold” for Jake Owen. In February 2014 the band scored radio traction via the single “The South,” which included guest turns from Dierks Bentley, Eli Young, and Florida Georgia Line. Half a year later they unveiled the track and video for “Party Like You,” then followed with the ballad “White Lightning” in April 2015. Their third album, Bury Me in My Boots, finally arrived in summer 2016. The musicians came back in August 2017 with Legacy, an effort that stripped things back to fundamentals. Issued in February 2020, Country Fuzz expanded their rock-blues-country fusion with dance-oriented grooves. Capping a busy year, the Cadillac Three released their fifth long-player, Tabasco & Sweet Tea, that October.
Following the rapid rollout of two projects, the Cadillac Three stepped away for much of the early 2020s before resurfacing in 2023 with The Years Go Fast, a high-volume album that highlighted their rock foundations and included a tribute to the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
