Yankee Grey has been met with stunning success and considerable hardship since releasing their debut album in 1999. That album spawned 2 top 40 hits with their first single, “All Things Considered” skyrocketing to number seven on the National Country Radio charts. That success was followed up by the top ten hit, “Another Nine Minutes” and finally by their emotional ballad, “This Time Around.” The group had enormous fan support and embarked on an 18 month national tour that included all fifty states and Canada. At the same time, Yankee Grey also garnered critical acclaim and was an Academy of Country Music nominee for “Best Duo or Group” in 2000. The band’s new release, on Stonewall Records, is simply entitled “Yankee Grey 2” and is a return to the classic YG sound.
Yankee Grey has gone through a lot of changes since the band came together 29 years ago. Brought together in 1986 by guitarist Matt Basford and drummer Kevin Griffin, the band created an extensive fan base through the Midwest and the South. Working with singer Tim Hunt and bassist Dave Buchanan, YG put together an electrifying brand of country rock music. Joined in 1998 by keyboardist Jerry Hughes and Joe Caverlee on the fiddle, the group’s talent was recognized by Nashville and Monument Records released “Untamed” in 1999.
Despite the success of “Untamed”, group members experienced some deep divides concerning the artistic direction for the band. In response, Jerry Hughes has emerged as a talented lead singer in his own right, and Yankee Grey 2 is a vivid collection of driving, down-home country music tunes. The songs, written and performed by YG, reflect today’s family and Americana values. From the first cut "That's What Love Looks Like" to the last song, a tongue-in-cheek look at the modern family, "Paradise", the album has that live, fresh sound that first made Yankee Grey a national success.