Uncle B’s Damned Ole Opry presents: Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” Gets Grassed! Featuring Taylor McCall, Everette, Matt Warren, Thad Cockrell, Collin Nash, Maura Streppa and many more!

Uncle B’s Damned Ole Opry is Bryan Simpson’s irreverent trippy-trad tent revival of a musical experience currently in residence in the Neon Steeple at Chief’s on Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee, It’s Billy Strings meets Barnum & Bailey, He-Haw meets Half-Baked. In short, a serious musical circus. Uncle B assembles an A-List of Nashville’s finest talent (past guests have included Charlie Worsham, Dan Tyminski, Sierra Hull, Trey Hensley, Caitlyn Smith, The Band Loula, Ashley Monroe, Jason Carter, Suzanne Cox, Ashley Gorley, Sarah Buxton, Brit Taylor, Sam Williams among many others), while B and his guests tackles a new music assignment each show. This month Uncle B and his guests take on the legendary Alabama’s songbook!

Taylor McCall

When the decades-old gospel recording fades into static, from which rises the first guitar chord of Taylor McCall’s Mellow War, you feel like you’re walking out of one world and into another. Or perhaps, for a moment anyway, straddling two worlds.
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, McCall quickly found his true sanctuary in the woods and on the water, and for much of his early life, stepped between the outdoors and the Sunday service. At the age of 7, he discovered his grandfather’s guitar and played with ritual secrecy until he was nearly 18. Following the release of his debut EP, Southern Heat, Taylor released his 2021 LP Black Powder Soul, which featured the title single earning recognition from Rolling Stone and American Songwriter. His songs are inspired by his father and grandfather’s sermons, the spirituality he finds in nature, and the influence of his contemporaries such as sister Rosetta Thorpe to TKTK, Johnny Cash and The Band.

By 2023, Taylor was opening for Robert Plant and plans for many more live shows to share his most passionate project yet, Mellow War.
Matt Warren

Chart-topping songwriter. Solo artist. Multi-platinum award winner. Soul singer. Matt Warren has played all the parts, building a versatile career that has taken him from the elite writing rooms of Music Row to stages across the country. He turns a new page with Heartbreak Superstar, his first solo release in a dozen years. Inspired by the R&B classics, soul songs, and southern music of his youth, it’s a timeless record for the modern age. Warren’s songwriting is on full display, showcasing the chops that have already earned him a pair of ASCAP Awards, an ACM Song of the Year nomination, and a Number 1 hit on country radio. Heartbreak Superstar is a singer’s record, though, and Warren — who created the EP with co-producers Oscar Charles and Cliff Audretch — delivers each song with a voice that’s every bit as raw, road-worn, and resilient as his own journey. That journey has taken Warren from the top of the Billboard charts — where Gary Allan’s “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” made him one of Nashville’s most in-demand songwriters during the 2010s, reaching Number 1 the same year Warren received his self-titled solo debut — to rehab, where he found God and rediscovered himself. Heartbreak Superstar captures the melodies and southern stories that have always fueled his work with renewed clarity. The result is a mix southern soul, Tennessee twang, and Laurel Canyon country-rock, all glued together by a songwriting veteran who’s happy to reclaim his solo artistry.

 

Everette

Growing up in Shepherdsville Kentucky, frontman Brent Rupard began his musical journey the way many of the greats began – in the church. In a particularly expressive church, he learned to let emotions run wild through the music without reservations. From the church to the rowdy bars of Bowling Green, Kentucky where he moved to go to college at Western Kentucky University, he honed in his ability to play above the noise and capture an audience. As he began to outgrow the club scene of Kentucky, Rupard set his sights on making music a career. Along with musical companion and former member of Everette, Anthony Olympia, the two of them set off for Nashville to make this dream a reality. This is where the band name “Everette” was formed after George Clooney’s character on “Oh Brother Where Art Thou”, a movie frequently watched together. Everette has become more than just a band name. Even though the configuration has changed from duo to now being led by Rupard, the name Everette and the mission to bring people together through music continues. Whether you see Everette on the Grand Ole Opry, in your hometown theater, or gathered around in the backyard, there’s no doubt an Everette show will make you feel something. With a mixture of bluegrass and rock n roll, The Everette sound will surely transport you to the back porch, with good friends, good drinks and good times. Everette’s latest EP, Keys to Kentucky is just the start of this new journey.

 

Thad Cockrell

Thad Cockrell has been releasing music both under his own name and with his band LEAGUES for two decades; while also a collaborative songwriter who has written with the likes of Joy Williams (GRAMMY-nominated album Front Porch), Devon Gilfillian, and Joseph, among others.

Cockrell was personally invited by Jimmy Fallon to perform with The Roots on The Tonight Show, after Fallon discovered Cockrell’s song “Swingin’” by Shazaming it in a hardware store. “It became my anthem,” Fallon said. “Because I’m like, when you want to give up, don’t give up! If you’re going to go down, you go down swingin’! This is my anthem, I love this song.”

Cockrell’s 2020 solo album ‘If In Case You Feel the Same,’ which features “Swingin’,” was produced mainly by Tony Berg (career spans Phoebe Bridgers to the Replacements), mixed & engineered by Shawn Everett (Vampire Weekend, Beck, The War on Drugs) and features an all-star backing band throughout – ATO labelmate Brittany Howard (backing vocals on track “Higher”), Blake Mills (guitar), Chris Dave (drums), Matt Chamberlain (drums), Ethan Gruska (piano, synths), Ian Fitchuk (multiple instruments).

Buoyed by the support of Brittany Howard, whom he first met over a 4a.m. pitcher of homemade margaritas, Cockrell set to work on his first solo effort in over a decade: an album that exposes his deepest insecurities and weaknesses, all for the sake of creating a transcendent connection with the audience.

 

Collin Nash

Born & Raised in the little town of Salem, Missouri, Collin Nash grew up surrounded & consumed by music. The sounds of George Jones, Roger Miller, Tom T. Hall and Merle Haggard taught him how to tell stories. For nearly a decade, he has written & been a hired gun for many country music artists. He has co-written songs for Tyler Halverson, Ben Chapman, Harper O’Neill as well as many others. Now stepping out on his own with a blend of raw country, americana & bluegrass, Collin brings forward a fresh, yet familiar approach to the craft of songwriting & storytelling.

 

Maura Streppa

A blend of Chicago grit and Southern charm, Maura Streppa’s music reflects a journey that began in the Midwest, began to bloom in North Carolina, and has now found solice in Tennessee. Her sound is a captivating tapestry woven from diverse influences – the soulful Janis Joplin and the storytelling genius of John Prine, the raw honesty of Phoebe Bridgers and the vibrant energy of Lainey Wilson. This unique blend creates a space for listeners who cherish both classic and contemporary sounds.

Maura’s vocals possess a gritty, soulful edge that elevates modern country melodies to new heights. Her songwriting traverses a wide spectrum, from upbeat Honky Tonk anthems to deeply personal ballads that chronicle her everyday struggles with unflinching honesty.

With multiple tracks currently available across all streaming platforms, Maura’s music has garnered attention from industry heavyweights, including Billboard, SiriusXM’s “The Highway,” and iHeart Radio’s “Women of Country.” Her poignant song, “Singer and The Song,” earned the prestigious 2022 Tennessee Songwriters Week award.