Rockabilly | Nashville, TN
Chuck Mead is one of the founding members of the celebrated alt-country quintet BR5-49. Mead brings together vintage country, rockabilly, and no-frills rock & roll, creating a sound that generates a swing all its own. While he has also made a name for himself as a producer and musical director, his work as a solo artist suggests a tougher, wilder version of the nervy traditionalist sound of BR5-49.
Born in Nevada and raised in Lawrence, Kansas, Chuck Mead cut his teeth musically playing in a roots rock band called Homestead Grays before he left home and relocated to Nashville. After meeting fellow musician Gary Bennett, he discovered they shared a passion for traditional country sounds of the ’40s and ’50s.
In 1993, the two decided to form a band that evolved into BR5-49, the name drawn from a recurring sketch on the country music variety show Hee Haw. BR5-49 became regulars at a Nashville club called Robert’s Western World, and their marathon sets (where they played for tips and regularly took requests for obscure honky tonk numbers) earned them a serious regional reputation and a deal with Arista Nashville Records. Despite enthusiastic press and respectable sales, country radio didn’t warm to BR5-49, and after jumping from Arista to Sony to the independent Dualtone label, the band broke up in 2006. Before breaking up, their 7 albums garnered a CMA Award for Best International Touring Act and three Grammy nominations, helped build an indelible bridge between authentic American Roots music, and millions of fans worldwide.
Since then he’s toured the globe, entertained thousands on the high seas, released 4 solo albums, made 137 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, co-produced critically acclaimed tribute albums to Johnny Cash & Waylon Jennings, acted as Musical Director/Supervisor/Producer of the Broadway hit musical Million Dollar Quartet and the companion CMT television show Sun Records.
With a burning desire to keep building musical bridges, Chuck packed up the band and took time out of his crazy schedule last summer to record his fourth solo album, the result of which, Close To Home, was released in 2019.