Royal Southern Brotherhood
Takes the Sonic Highway to Muscle Shoals’
FAME Studios
With New Guitarists
Bart Walker and Tyrone Vaughan
ATLANTA,
GA - Ruf Recording artists, Royal Southern Brotherhood, are raising the
ante as they roll into the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals,
Alabama. The band has added fiery guitar slingers Bart Walker and Tyrone
Vaughan to breathe new energy into their third studio release. The new
blood is there to help the venerable Cyril Neville and powerhouse rhythm
section Yonrico Scott and Charlie Wooton up the funk while maintaining
the blues and rock that has brought Royal Southern Brotherhood (RSB) a
growing, worldwide audience.
Click on photo to watch footage from the new line up!
The
Brotherhood has toured incessantly over the last four years, canvassing
the USA, Europe and Australia. The hard work paid off as RSB watched
their fan base and notoriety swell. 2014 also saw RSB win a Blues Music
Award for their live DVD, Songs From The Road.
Royal
Southern Brotherhood has also been fortunate to have NOLA legend, Cyril
Neville, featured in an episode of HBO’s “Sonic Highways” series. This
is an 8-episode show that follows the Foo Fighters as they visit
different towns they consider to be musically unique and important.
Neville was a natural and charismatic fit to talk with Dave Grohl about
the New Orleans sound. Their shared love of percussion and rhythms
creates a chemistry that serves the show well.
Cyril
provided some unique insight and stories about growing up in New
Orleans along with Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, telling Dave how Troy
got his nickname. Neville detailed how Troy began playing at such a
young age that the T-bone was actually taller than Troy. Although he is
now a grown man, the nickname “Trombone Shorty” has stayed with him.
With
this new spotlight on Cyril, he has been a part of the show’s
promotional efforts, by being mentioned in the band’s interviews that
have been taken to an international level, CNN, Rolling Stone, Anderson
Cooper, CBS’ “60 Minutes”, etc. Dave Grohl has claimed Cyril Neville and
NOLA to be his new crush.
As
RSB began the task of recording their new CD, they knew they needed a
historical, creative location to raise the bar. Choosing FAME was a
no-brainer. The studio is located along the Tennessee River in Muscle
Shoals, which may seem like a quiet, southern town, but it’s a lightning
rod for creativity.
In
1960, FAME Studios opened its doors under the direction of Rick Hall.
It wasn’t long before Rick had developed a talented and unique group of
session players (and production staff). The sound these boys from
northern Alabama created drew the attention of artists such as Wilson
Pickett, The Staple Singers, Drive-By Truckers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul
Simon and Duane Allman. It’s been told, that Eric Clapton, wanted to
know who was that playing on “Hey Jude”, by Pickett and that’s how he
found ‘Sky Dog' (Duane Allman). The place oozes with musical history,
vibe and creative juice that will energize RSB’s new endeavor.
Recently,
RSB went into a local New Orleans studio to record some demos and work
on the vital band chemistry with the new members, guitarists Bart Walker
and Tyrone Vaughan. Bart and Tyrone fell into the Brotherhood quickly
and added a spark that only change can bring. The results exceeded
expectations.
Tyrone
hails from blues royalty. When your father is Jimmie Vaughan and your
uncle is the vaunted Stevie Ray (who gave Tyrone his first guitar at 5),
it can be a blessing and a curse. A lot is expected from Tyrone before
he hits the stage, so it takes courage to follow in the family business.
Fortunately, Tyrone is unaffected by the adulation for his family, and
developed his own gifted style and signature tone. Tyrone cut his own
path by working his way up through the Austin (a town drenched in guitar
heroes for the uninitiated) club scene in his teens, eventually packing
clubs around Texas. Through hard work, studying the masters and a tip
or two from the family, Tyrone has developed a soulful voice along with a
guitar tone that mixes blues, rock and country. Tyrone’s description
of, “in your face,” tone proves accurate when you hear him cut through
any mix.
Bart
Walker brings his own unique talents to RSB. As a Nashville native, it
was natural for Bart to be affected by the country, bluegrass and gospel
music that permeates the air. Bart, however, wanted more. Classically
trained, Walker considered an offer to join a German opera company.
However, his curiosity kept him searching for new music.
One
day Bart wandered into a blues jam and realized he found his calling.
Bart paid his dues playing in Mike Farris’ (Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies)
and Reese Wynan’s (Stevie Ray Vaughan) bands before landing his own deal
with Ruf Records. His 2013 release, Waiting On Daylight,
garnered both national and international acclaim. This attention gave
Bart the cache to see a lot of the world via Ruf Records President’s,
Blues Caravan Tour, which spotlights new talent to sizable audiences.
Now a seasoned player, Walker was ready and able to join the
Brotherhood. “Joining RSB was the best idea anyone had for me,” said the
affable Walker.
Cyril
Neville has long been considered New Orleans royalty for his stints in
the Grammy Award winning Neville Brothers, Galactic and The Meters. The
Meters opened for the Rolling Stones and have been on the voting ballot
twice for nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum.
Neville’s career has spawned 45 some odd years and has included
performances with music icons such as Bono, Joan Baez, Dr. John and Tab
Benoit.
In
1989, Cyril penned, “Sister Rosa,” about the Civil Rights icon, Rosa
Parks. Last year, USA Today honored Neville by choosing the song as one
of the most inspirational song about Martin Luther King’s, “I Have A
Dream,” speech on the 50th anniversary of the historical
oration given during the march on Washington (Parks was in attendance).
“Sister Rosa” may not have had a change on the movement at the time, but
Neville’s composition reminded a country of the thousands of souls that
risked their lives to bring an end to a shameful tradition in the US.
The
current line-up will hit the stage with Cyril Neville (of course) on
vocals and percussion, Devon Allman and Bart Walker on vocals/guitars,
and Yonrico Scott (drums) and Charlie Wooton playing bass. Many consider
Scott and Wooton to be the best rhythm section working, and their
skills have provided the foundation for RSB to up the funk. The band is
still supporting their latest release, “heartsoulblood” with dates throughout the winter and early spring months.
When
the Brotherhood’s original guitarists, Mike Zito and Devon Allman
decided to concentrate on their solo careers, the parting was amicable
and most likely both Zito and Allman will join RSB on stage
occasionally. This is because RSB is truly a brotherhood of like-minded
musicians that love to work together. Some of the players may rotate
(Cyril, however will always steer the ship) but the spirit is the same:
write great songs and see where they take you. The chemistry,
craftsmanship and artistry of the musicians will always ensure great
music.
Devon’s last performance with RSB will be at the Wanee Festival in Live Oak, Florida. The show will take place in mid-April, so we ask you to still use the following photo for tour press coverage.
