The Derailers
Encyclopedia
The Derailers are an American country music
band based in Austin, Texas
. They were founded by Portland, Oregon
natives Tony Villanueva and Brian Hofeldt in 1994.
music festival, and the record became profitable within two months. This occurred at a time when “Americana
” radio stations were starting to multiply and various forms of non-mainstream country music were coming together under such rubrics as Americana and alternative-country. The Derailers became a major part of that movement, representing the “traditional honky-tonk
” end of the sub-genre.
With its fan base growing, the band signed with the more established Austin independent label Watermelon Records for their second release, Jackpot (1996), and then moved to Sire Records for their third release, Reverb Deluxe (1997). Aggressive touring across the U.S. and airplay on Americana radio stations grew a steadily increasing fan base and The Derailers came to be seen as an act poised for breakout success in mainstream country, and were even hailed as “the future of country music” in the Austin press. They signed with Curb Records
for their first major-label release, Full Western Dress, in 1999, which would reach #69 on the Billboard Country chart. A single from this album, "The Right Place", appeared on the Billboard single charts at #71 and the video became one of the 50 most requested of the year 2000 on Country Music Television
.
Seeking greater mainstream success, The Derailers switched to Sony
’s Lucky Dog Records for their next release, Here Come the Derailers, and were paired with Nashville A-list producer Kyle Lehning
. This album had the unfortunate release date of September 11, 2001, and was largely overlooked by mainstream radio stations that began emphasizing patriotic songs. A profile of the band on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition
in 2002 did help push the album just into the top 50 on the Billboard country charts. The follow-up release for Lucky Dog, Genuine (2003), did slightly better, cresting at #44. But soon after that, founding member and primary vocalist Tony Villanueva announced he was leaving the band to spend more time with his family and become a church pastor.
Since Villanueva’s departure, The Derailers have shuffled their lineup, with Brian Hofeldt taking on the role of primary front man. With these changes they have moved back to the independent world, releasing two albums on the Palo Duro label, Soldiers of Love (2007) and Under the Influence of Buck (2007), a tribute album to one of their heroes, Buck Owens
. While their new music is being once again embraced by Americana stations, it appears that The Derailers may have passed their high water mark in terms of success in the mainstream of country music.
Buck Owens and the Buckaroos
has been one of the primary influences on the Derailers' music from the beginning. Owens himself performed with the band on one track of Full Western Dress, "Play Me the Waltz of the Angels", and also selected the band to play at his 70th birthday party in 1999.
In addition to Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, The Derailers' music also reflects influences from 1960s pop-rock acts such as The Beatles
, Roy Orbison
and The Beach Boys
. On their 2007 CD, Under The Influence Of Buck, they dedicated the CD to Buck Owens and Buckaroo front men Don Rich
and Doyle Holly
.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
band based in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. They were founded by Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
natives Tony Villanueva and Brian Hofeldt in 1994.
History
The Derailers' first LP, Live Tracks, was issued in 1995. It was the first release of the Austin-based independent label Freedom Records. Shortly after the release, The Derailers became one of the most talked about acts at Austin's 1995 South by SouthwestSouth by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
music festival, and the record became profitable within two months. This occurred at a time when “Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
” radio stations were starting to multiply and various forms of non-mainstream country music were coming together under such rubrics as Americana and alternative-country. The Derailers became a major part of that movement, representing the “traditional honky-tonk
Honky tonk
A honky-tonk is a type of bar that provides musical entertainment to its patrons...
” end of the sub-genre.
With its fan base growing, the band signed with the more established Austin independent label Watermelon Records for their second release, Jackpot (1996), and then moved to Sire Records for their third release, Reverb Deluxe (1997). Aggressive touring across the U.S. and airplay on Americana radio stations grew a steadily increasing fan base and The Derailers came to be seen as an act poised for breakout success in mainstream country, and were even hailed as “the future of country music” in the Austin press. They signed with Curb Records
Curb Records
Curb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963...
for their first major-label release, Full Western Dress, in 1999, which would reach #69 on the Billboard Country chart. A single from this album, "The Right Place", appeared on the Billboard single charts at #71 and the video became one of the 50 most requested of the year 2000 on Country Music Television
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
.
Seeking greater mainstream success, The Derailers switched to Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
’s Lucky Dog Records for their next release, Here Come the Derailers, and were paired with Nashville A-list producer Kyle Lehning
Kyle Lehning
Kyle Lehning is an American record producer whose work is mainly in the field of country music. He has produced virtually every album released by Randy Travis, who describes their partnership "an interesting relationship." The only exceptions are Travis' 1993 album Wind in the Wire, which was...
. This album had the unfortunate release date of September 11, 2001, and was largely overlooked by mainstream radio stations that began emphasizing patriotic songs. A profile of the band on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition
Morning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
in 2002 did help push the album just into the top 50 on the Billboard country charts. The follow-up release for Lucky Dog, Genuine (2003), did slightly better, cresting at #44. But soon after that, founding member and primary vocalist Tony Villanueva announced he was leaving the band to spend more time with his family and become a church pastor.
Since Villanueva’s departure, The Derailers have shuffled their lineup, with Brian Hofeldt taking on the role of primary front man. With these changes they have moved back to the independent world, releasing two albums on the Palo Duro label, Soldiers of Love (2007) and Under the Influence of Buck (2007), a tribute album to one of their heroes, Buck Owens
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
. While their new music is being once again embraced by Americana stations, it appears that The Derailers may have passed their high water mark in terms of success in the mainstream of country music.
Buck Owens and the Buckaroos
The Buckaroos
The Buckaroos were a Grammy-winning band led by Buck Owens in the 1960s and early '70s, who were heavily involved in the development and presentation of the "Bakersfield Sound." Their peak of success was from 1965-1970. In 2005, CMT named the Buckaroos No...
has been one of the primary influences on the Derailers' music from the beginning. Owens himself performed with the band on one track of Full Western Dress, "Play Me the Waltz of the Angels", and also selected the band to play at his 70th birthday party in 1999.
In addition to Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, The Derailers' music also reflects influences from 1960s pop-rock acts such as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
and The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
. On their 2007 CD, Under The Influence Of Buck, they dedicated the CD to Buck Owens and Buckaroo front men Don Rich
Don Rich
Donald Eugene Ulrich, best known by the stage name Don Rich was a country musician who helped develop the Bakersfield sound in the early 1960s. He was a noted guitarist and fiddler, and a member of the Buckaroos, the backing band of country singer Buck Owens.-Biography:Donald Eugene Ulrich was...
and Doyle Holly
Doyle Holly
Doyle Floyd Hendricks, known by the stage name Doyle Holly was an American musician best known as the bass guitar player of the country music band Buck Owens and the Buckaroos and for his solo hit songs "Queen Of The Silver Dollar" and "Lila". Holly's contributions on bass guitar and rhythm guitar...
.
Albums
| Year | Title | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Live Tracks | Freedom | |
| 1996 | Jackpot | Watermelon | |
| 1997 | Reverb Deluxe | Sire | |
| 1999 | Full Western Dress | 69 | |
| 2001 | Here Come the Derailers | 50 | Lucky Dog |
| 2003 | Genuine | 44 | |
| 2006 | Soldiers of Love | Palo Duro | |
| Retrospective: Just One More Time | Varese | ||
| 2007 | Under the Influence of Buck | Palo Duro | |
| 2008 | Guaranteed to Satisfy |
Singles
| Year | Single | US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Just One More Time" | Reverb Deluxe | |
| 1999 | "The Right Place" | 71 | Full Western Dress |
| 2001 | "More of Your Love" | Here Come the Derailers | |
| 2002 | "Bar Exam" | ||
| 2003 | "Genuine" | Genuine | |
| 2006 | "I'm Still Missing You" | Texas Unplugged, Vol. 2 | |
| 2007 | "Hey Valerie" | Soldiers of Love | |
| "Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass" | Under the Influence of Buck | ||
| "Big in Vegas Big in Vegas "Big in Vegas" is a single by American country music artist Buck Owens. Released in October 1969, it was the first single from his album Big in Vegas. The song peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also reached number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.-Chart... " |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Just One More Time" | Jamie Stern |
| "California Angel" | ||
| 1999 | "The Right Place" | Chris Rogers |
| 2001 | "More of Your Love" | Wes Edwards Wes Edwards Wes Edwards is a music video and commercial director. He has directed several Jason Aldean videos, as well as others.-Music videos directed:This is a list of music videos directed by Wes Edwards... |
| 2002 | "Bar Exam" | Lawrence Carroll |
| 2007 | "Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass" | Travis Nicholson |