Emerging from studio sessions into live performances, the Texas Gentlemen formed as a collective of players who had first supported major figures across Texas music before launching their own career. Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Beau Patrick Bedford from Dallas launched the story after performing with Jonathan Tyler’s road ensemble, the Northern Lights. He struck out independently in 2009 and began producing recordings, starting with R&B vocalist Larry Gee. Bedford soon earned acclaim for his work with Kirby Brown, the Dovetails, the Roomsounds, and Paul Cauthen, drawing on an ad-hoc circle of adaptable local musicians who meshed fluidly and forged a unified style that contrasted with the mechanical precision common among many session players.
Although personnel shifted frequently around Bedford, the central lineup stabilized with Bedford on keyboards, Ryan Ake and Nik Lee handling guitars, Daniel Creamer on piano, Scott Lee and Matt McDonald covering bass, and Aaron Haynes on drums. Taking the name the Texas Gentlemen, the musicians scheduled sporadic Dallas appearances while providing support for artists ranging from Ed Sheeran to George Strait. Their visibility surged in 2016 after securing a slot at the Newport Folk Festival and being chosen as the backing unit for Kris Kristofferson, who returned to the event for the first time in 45 years. Kristofferson responded favorably and enlisted the group for subsequent Texas dates.
That same year Bedford had reserved time at Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, for another client who ultimately withdrew. He quickly pivoted, summoning the Texas Gentlemen and several sympathetic associates to the facility for an open-ended session. Across four days the musicians composed and tracked 28 songs; they later selected their 11 favorites for the album TX Jelly, issued by New West Records in September 2017. Extensive U.S. touring followed, along with shows alongside Brian Setzer and Paul Cauthen during the ensuing year. The band soon returned to the studio for a second album, tracking at the historic Muscle Shoals facility in Alabama and the Echo Lab in Denton, Texas, where they embraced broader classic-rock and soulful textures. Floor It!!! appeared in mid-2020, introduced by the West Coast-influenced single “Ain’t Nothin’ New.”
