Atlante, GA (Top40 Charts/ Mark Pucci Media) INIO
Music announces a July 12 national release date for the debut CD from Atlanta-based group, Reluctant Saints, titled Long Drive. The band's CD showcases a blend of country, Southern rock and jam influences and features special guest Hammond B-3 legends Ike Stubblefield (Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder) and Rev.
Oliver Wells (Earth, Wind and Fire). Long Drive was produced by Jonathan Beckner and the band and recorded at Real 2 Reel Studios in Jonesboro, Georgia.
Reluctant Saints will celebrate the new album with a series of CD release shows in the Atlanta area. Early airplay on Long Drive is already happening at 94.9FM The Bull, Atlanta's largest country radio station, as well as at several other stations around the south.
In an early review of Long Drive, respected Southern jam magazine Hittin' the Note saluted the band's sound. "The combination of instantly accessible, hook-laden songwriting and sweet harmony guitars make this pure ear candy. Songs like 'Blue Ridge Baby,' with its Allman-esque harmony guitars, are so catchy they stick in your head immediately."
Reluctant Saints formed in October 2010. The band consists of guitarists and lead vocalists Brian Cameron and Nathan Morgan, bassist Mark Wilson and drummer Gary Chumney. Brothers Brian Cameron (aka Brian Cameron Wilson) and Mark Wilson grew up in a musical household. Their father, Bruce Wilson, was a guitarist in the popular Southern rock band, Kudzu, and the brothers gravitated towards music at an early age.
Brian and Mark were former members of the group, Steel Horses, a southern regional touring group whose singles, "You and Me" and "Come the Ride," enjoyed radio airplay in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Steel Horses also headlined clubs and opened concerts for acts such as Confederate Railroad and Jupiter Coyote. Mark Wilson later joined critically-acclaimed Atlanta soul/blues artist Andrew Black's band and appeared on a live CD with him. In 2006, Brian was a member of the band, Ratz in the Attic, which won an "American Idol" songwriting contest for the tune, "Runaway." In addition to his work with Reluctant Saints, Brian also performs - sometimes with bandmate Gary Chumney - as a member of Ike Stubblefield's band at live shows and appears on Stubblefield's upcoming CD release that also includes slide guitar great Derek Trucks.
In addition to his sometime work with Ike Stubblefield, drummer Gary Chumney has performed with a host of other artists in the region. The Gadsden, Alabama native also spent 14 years touring with Ethan and the Ewoks, who headlined club shows and opened for groups such as the Dave Matthews Band.
Guitarist/lead vocalist Nathan Morgan has played numerous gigs in the Atlanta area over the last six years, but earlier this year achieved the rarified air of playing with blues guitar legend Buddy Guy at his Chicago club, Legends. In August 2009, Nathan performed the National Anthem prior to a Braves/Mets game to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Woodstock.
For more information on Reluctant Saints, visit www.reluctantsaints.com or www.INIOMusic.com.
