Cliff Wheeler, describes his band as “outlaw country” and “multi-genre.” The North Carolina native credits this to a variety of musical influences growing up, including Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, The Doors, Eric Clapton, AC/DC, Dwight Yoakam, Blackfoot and Led Zeppelin. You can hear threads of all of these greats, woven throughout Cliff Wheeler Band’s music.
“Little Dancer”, written for Cliff’s sister, isn’t the only family influenced song. “Son Of A Son” is a testament to the musical legacy within Cliff’s family and was written for his Dad, as well as his son, Garrett, who plays bass for the band. After the song was written and before they headed into the studio to record it, Garrett carried a little digital recorder with him to every venue they played at and recorded the crowds singing along to “Son”. The intro you hear was recorded at Cliff’s Stepfather’s bar, Jim’s Joint, in northern Mississippi. It’s those recordings that make “Son”, the ultimate sing-along. (Try to listen without singing along, we dare you!).
A popular favorite for years at Music Mafia Radio, hitting the number one spot multiple times, with multiple songs, the Cliff Wheeler Band started off 2019 no differently, with “Son Of A Son” coming in at #2 on the first Top 30 countdown of the year and reaching #1 the second week.
The Cliff Wheeler Band continues to tour the U.S. throughout the year, including a performance at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas in March, as well as a life performance at Checkpoint Charlie’s in New Orleans on March 12th. The band also recently announced, that they have joined the roster of performers at the first annual ISSA Awards in Atlanta on Augusst 3rd.
The Cliff Wheeler Band is: Cliff Wheeler – lead guitar/acoustic gutiar/vocals, Gary Orlando – lead “dirty” guitar, Garrett Wheeler – bass guitar and Michael J. Martin aka “The Fabulous Michael J” on drums.
CWB has also been working with Indie On Air Records, as well as tteaming up with the Nashville Non Prophets, doing shows together in North Carolina and the Nashville area. Cliff and the band plan to head back to the studio, toward the end of this year, and are shooting for a 2020 new record release.
Find out more about the Cliff Wheeler Band here: http://www.cliffwheeler.us
