Yankee Grey
Encyclopedia
Yankee Grey was an American country music
group originally composed of six members: David Buchanan (bass guitar
), Matthew Basford (lead guitar
), Joe Caverlee (fiddle
), Kevin Griffin (drums
), Jerry Hughes (keyboards
), and Tim Hunt (lead vocals), all of whom met in Cincinnati, Ohio
.
Founded in 1986, the band toured throughout the state of Ohio
before being signed to a record deal with Monument Records
in 1999. The same year, they made their debut on the Billboard
country music charts with the Top Ten single "All Things Considered", followed by the release of their debut album Untamed, which produced two more hit singles on the country charts. After exiting Monument, the band signed to the independent Stonewall label in 2002.
, record producers. He then asked the band to record a demo tape; Cliff Audretch, Senior Director of Sony Music Nashville, heard the demo tape and traveled to Ohio to see them perform.
By 1997, the group was signed to Sony's Monument Records
division. Their debut album, Untamed, was issued in late 1999, with Robert Ellis Orrall
, Josh Leo
, and Ronnie Thomas serving as producers. "All Things Considered", the first release from the album, reached a peak of #8 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts. In addition, Yankee Grey received a nomination for Best New Group or Duo at the Academy of Country Music
awards that year.
The second single from Untamed, entitled "Another Nine Minutes", peaked at #15 on the country charts in 2000; it was followed by "This Time Around", which failed to enter the Top 40. By the end of 2000, Yankee Grey had exited Monument's roster, and Tim Hunt had left the group's lineup due to vocal problems. After Hunt's departure, the band began a search for a replacement lead.
Signed to an independent label known as Stonewall Records. Their second album, Yankee Grey 2, was issued in 2002, with keyboardist Jerry Hughes taking over as lead vocalist on the album. Later on, Lyle Gudmunsen was briefly signed on as lead singer. The band broke up shortly after Gudmunsen joined, and he began a solo career.
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...
group originally composed of six members: David Buchanan (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Matthew Basford (lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
), Joe Caverlee (fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
), Kevin Griffin (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Jerry Hughes (keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
), and Tim Hunt (lead vocals), all of whom met in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
.
Founded in 1986, the band toured throughout the state of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
before being signed to a record deal with Monument Records
Monument Records
Monument Records was an American record label, Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958, by Fred Foster and Buddy Deane . Buddy Deane soon left the company, and in the early 60's bought KOTN in Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he retired to until his death...
in 1999. The same year, they made their debut on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country music charts with the Top Ten single "All Things Considered", followed by the release of their debut album Untamed, which produced two more hit singles on the country charts. After exiting Monument, the band signed to the independent Stonewall label in 2002.
Biography
Yankee Grey was founded in Cincinnati in 1986 by drummer Kevin Griffin and guitarist Matthew Basford. Bass guitarist David Buchanan and lead vocalist Tim Hunt were added soon afterward, and the group began to perform in various bars and clubs around Cincinnati. Eventually, keyboardist Jerry Hughes and fiddle player Joe Caverlee were added as well, completing the band's lineup. After several years of playing local venues in Ohio, Yankee Grey was eventually spotted by an engineer who had connections to Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, record producers. He then asked the band to record a demo tape; Cliff Audretch, Senior Director of Sony Music Nashville, heard the demo tape and traveled to Ohio to see them perform.
By 1997, the group was signed to Sony's Monument Records
Monument Records
Monument Records was an American record label, Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958, by Fred Foster and Buddy Deane . Buddy Deane soon left the company, and in the early 60's bought KOTN in Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he retired to until his death...
division. Their debut album, Untamed, was issued in late 1999, with Robert Ellis Orrall
Robert Ellis Orrall
Robert Ellis Orrall is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Signed to RCA Records in 1980, Orrall debuted that year with the album "Fixation". His first Top 40 single was "I Couldn't Say No", a duet with Carlene Carter...
, Josh Leo
Josh Leo
Josh Leo is an American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer active in Nashville, Tennessee.Leo was born in Des Moines, Iowa, but was raised in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1973, he moved to Chicago, Illinois and subsequently became a guitarist of the short-lived Eddie Boy Band...
, and Ronnie Thomas serving as producers. "All Things Considered", the first release from the album, reached a peak of #8 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
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...
) charts. In addition, Yankee Grey received a nomination for Best New Group or Duo at the Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
awards that year.
The second single from Untamed, entitled "Another Nine Minutes", peaked at #15 on the country charts in 2000; it was followed by "This Time Around", which failed to enter the Top 40. By the end of 2000, Yankee Grey had exited Monument's roster, and Tim Hunt had left the group's lineup due to vocal problems. After Hunt's departure, the band began a search for a replacement lead.
Signed to an independent label known as Stonewall Records. Their second album, Yankee Grey 2, was issued in 2002, with keyboardist Jerry Hughes taking over as lead vocalist on the album. Later on, Lyle Gudmunsen was briefly signed on as lead singer. The band broke up shortly after Gudmunsen joined, and he began a solo career.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country |
US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
CAN Country RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
||
| Untamed Untamed (Yankee Grey album) Untamed is the debut album of the American country music band Yankee Grey. It was released in 1999 on Monument Records Nashville. The album produced three chart singles on the Billboard country charts. In order of release, these were "All Things Considered" at #8, "Another Nine Minutes" at #15,... |
|
41 | 31 | 19 |
| Yankee Grey 2 |
|
— | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
CAN Country RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
|||
| 1999 | "All Things Considered All Things Considered (song) "All Things Considered" is the title of a song written by lead vocalist Tim Hunt and recorded by the American country music group Yankee Grey. It was released in June 1999 as the leadoff single from the group's first album, Untamed... " |
8 | 54 | 16 | Untamed |
| 2000 | "Another Nine Minutes" | 15 | 74 | 23 | |
| "This Time Around" | 43 | — | 67 | ||
| "Untamed" | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "All Things Considered" | David Abbott |
| 2000 | "Another Nine Minutes" | Chris Rogers |
| "This Time Around" | David McClister | |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Best New Duo or Group | |