Complete List Of The SteelDrivers Albums And Songs

Feature Photo: Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The SteelDrivers formed in Nashville in 2005 around a group of experienced songwriters and session musicians who wanted to push acoustic music beyond the usual bluegrass boundaries. Chris Stapleton sang and played guitar, Mike Henderson handled mandolin and guitar, Tammy Rogers played fiddle and sang harmony, Richard Bailey played banjo, and Mike Fleming played bass and contributed vocals.

The musicians described their approach through the music itself: bluegrass instrumentation delivered with the force, emotional directness, and darker storytelling associated with blues, soul, country, and rock. Stapleton’s powerful voice immediately separated the SteelDrivers from more traditional harmony-centered groups, while Rogers, Bailey, Henderson, and Fleming created arrangements that could sound elegant, menacing, mournful, or explosive.

The self-titled debut arrived in 2008 and introduced “Blue Side of the Mountain,” “Drinkin’ Dark Whiskey,” “Midnight Train to Memphis,” and “If It Hadn’t Been for Love.” Adele later recorded “If It Hadn’t Been for Love,” while Stapleton revisited “Midnight Train to Memphis” during his solo career.

Reckless followed in 2010 and became the final SteelDrivers studio album with Stapleton as lead singer. “Where Rainbows Never Die,” “Good Corn Liquor,” “Ghosts of Mississippi,” and “The Reckless Side of Me” strengthened the group’s reputation for combining traditional instruments with vivid, often troubled characters.

Gary Nichols replaced Stapleton and sang on Hammer Down and The Muscle Shoals Recordings. The latter album won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2016, giving the SteelDrivers their first Grammy victory.

Kelvin Damrell became the lead singer and guitarist for Bad For You in 2020. Matt Dame joined in 2021 and made his album debut on the gospel collection Tougher Than Nails in 2023.

The SteelDrivers celebrated their twentieth anniversary in 2025 with Outrun, their first album for Sun Records. The record honored late founding member Mike Henderson through two of his co-written songs, “Prisoner’s Tears” and “Painted and Poison.” Outrun received a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album at the 2026 ceremony.

The current lineup features Matt Dame on lead vocals and guitar, Tammy Rogers on fiddle and vocals, Richard Bailey on banjo, Mike Fleming on bass and vocals, and Brent Truitt on mandolin. The band remained active on the road throughout 2026.

The SteelDrivers Studio Albums

The SteelDrivers (2008)

Released on January 15, 2008, the debut album established the SteelDrivers’ original lineup and signature mixture of bluegrass precision, country-soul singing, and dark narrative songwriting. Chris Stapleton’s lead vocals dominate the record, but the instrumental balance among fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, and bass gives every song a strong ensemble identity.

“Blue Side of the Mountain”
“Drinkin’ Dark Whiskey”
“Midnight Train to Memphis”
“Midnight Tears”
“If You Can’t Be Good, Be Gone”
“If It Hadn’t Been for Love”
“Hear the Willow Cry”
“Sticks That Made Thunder”
“East Kentucky Home”
“To Be with You Again”
“Heaven Sent”

Reckless (2010)

Released on September 7, 2010, the second SteelDrivers album deepened the original lineup’s combination of hard-driving acoustic music and country-soul vocals. It became Chris Stapleton’s final studio album as the band’s singer and produced some of the group’s most enduring songs.

“The Reckless Side of Me”
“Good Corn Liquor”
“Where Rainbows Never Die”
“The Price”
“Can You Run”
“Peacemaker”
“You Put the Hurt on Me”
“Midnight on the Mountain”
“Guitars, Whiskey, Guns and Knives”
“Angel of the Night”
“Higher Than the Wall”
“Ghosts of Mississippi”

Hammer Down (2013)

Released on February 5, 2013, the third album introduced Gary Nichols as lead singer and Brent Truitt as the band’s mandolin player. Rather than imitating the Stapleton era, the new lineup emphasized Nichols’s soulful voice while preserving the SteelDrivers’ original songwriting character and forceful acoustic arrangements.

“Shallow Grave”
“How Long Have I Been Your Fool”
“When You Don’t Come Home”
“I’ll Be There”
“Burnin’ the Woodshed Down”
“Wearin’ a Hole”
“Lonesome Goodbye”
“Hell on Wheels”
“Cry No Mississippi”
“When I’m Gone”

The Muscle Shoals Recordings (2015)

Released on June 16, 2015, the fourth album connected the SteelDrivers’ bluegrass-soul sound with the musical history surrounding Muscle Shoals. Gary Nichols remained on lead vocals, while the band handled the production and Jason Isbell made a guest appearance on guitar. The album won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.

“Long Way Down”
“Drinkin’ Alone”
“Ashes of Yesterday”
“Day Before Temptation”
“Here She Goes”
“California Chainsaw”
“Hangin’ Around”
“Brother John”
“Six Feet Away”
“Too Much”
“River Runs Red”

Bad For You (2020)

Released on February 7, 2020, Kelvin Damrell made his studio debut as lead vocalist and guitarist on the SteelDrivers’ fifth album. His rough-edged singing fit the group’s blues and rock influences, while Tammy Rogers, Richard Bailey, Mike Fleming, and Brent Truitt preserved the instrumental identity developed across the earlier records.

“Bad For You”
“The Bartender”
“12 O’Clock Blues”
“I Choose You”
“Falling Man”
“Forgive”
“Glad I’m Gone”
“Innocent Man”
“Mama Says No”
“Lonely and Being Alone”
“When a Heart Breaks”

Tougher Than Nails (2023)

Released on September 8, 2023, the SteelDrivers’ first full gospel album introduced Matt Dame as the band’s lead singer on a studio release. Traditional hymns appeared alongside new songs written for the project, allowing the group to approach faith, mortality, redemption, and endurance without abandoning its familiar blues-inflected acoustic sound.

“Somewhere Down the Road”
“Tougher Than Nails”
“Just a Little Talk with Jesus”
“Farther Along”
“Magdalene”
“30 Silver Pieces”
“I Will Someday”
“His Eye Is on the Sparrow”
“At the River”
“Going Home”
“Amazing Grace”

Outrun (2025)

Released on May 23, 2025, the album became the SteelDrivers’ first release for Sun Records and the first secular studio collection with Matt Dame as lead singer. Issued during the band’s twentieth-anniversary year, it includes songs written by Tammy Rogers and Dame as well as two co-writes by founding mandolinist Mike Henderson, who died in 2023. Outrun received a 2026 Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album.