The Great Divide
| The Great Divide | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| origin | Stillwater , Oklahoma |
| Genre (s) | Red dirt , country rock |
| founding | 1992, 2011 |
| resolution | 2007 |
| Current occupation | |
| Mike McClure | |
Rhythm guitar , vocals |
Scotte Lester |
| Kelley Green | |
| JJ Lester | |
| former members | |
singing |
Micah Aills (2003-2007) |
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The Great Divide is an American country band from Oklahoma . She was one of the best-known representatives of Red Dirt music , especially during the 1990s .
history
The Great Divide was founded in 1992 in Stillwater, Oklahoma - the center of the Red Dirt scene. The band initially consisted of front man Mike McClure , the second lead singer Scotte Lester, whose brother JJ , who played the drums, and bassist Kelley Green. Around 1994 the four musicians decided to start a professional music career and quit their jobs. In 1995 they released their first, commercially little-noticed album Goin 'for Broke , which was produced by Lloyd Maines . Because they couldn't find a label, they released the album themselves and sold it when they performed. At that time, the band mainly appeared as an opening act for established country acts such as Willie Nelson , Jerry Jeff Walker , Robert Earl Keen and Mark Wills . Her second CD Break in the Storm brought them although again without a major label out, but when Rick Blackburn of Atlantic Records took notice of the group's success, he offered her a contract that was signed in August 1997th The album was then released a second time and hit the official country charts, where it stayed for nine weeks. The Great Divide was the first Red Dirt band to be signed by a major label and the first to hit the Billboard charts.
In 1998 the band performed at the big country festival Fan Fair in Nashville . The next album Revolutions was released the following year . Again it was released by Atlantic Records and was able to place in the charts. After the new president of the label refused to support them, the musicians were without a label in the early 2000s. Under difficult conditions, the band began to work on a new independent project. In October 2000, the album Afterglow: The Will Rogers Sessions , which was not produced by Lloyd Maines for the first time , was finally released. The production could not place in the national charts.
After the releases of Dirt and Spirit , a collaboration with various other artists on the scene under the name The Great Divide & Friends , which did not sell as hoped, and Remain , the band's sixth studio album, longtime front singer and guitarist Mike McClure split from the rest of the group. McClure, who had already released his first solo album in 2002, devoted himself exclusively to other projects from 2003 onwards. In March 2003 The Great Divide played for the last time in its old line-up. The recordings of the concert were published on a two-part live album.
The singer's departure marked the greatest upheaval in the eleven-year-old history of the band. In the summer of 2003, the group finally found a replacement in the hitherto relatively unknown Micah Aills. Almost two years after joining the band, Under Your Own Sun was released, the band's seventh studio album. Aills earned the praise of various music critics for his performance as a lead singer, but the CD was the last release of the band, which announced their split in 2007. Aills then returned to his home state of Ohio, while the other three members of the band pursued other professions apart from the music industry.
Four years later, the group appeared on a comeback show with their original cast. In the following years the four musicians performed together again regularly. However, the number of concerts was significantly lower than in the 1990s. With the single Bound to Be There Soon , the band released new music again in 2018 after 13 years. The piece appeared a few months later on the Best Of album 25 Years of The Great Divide , which includes a total of 27 old and four new songs.
Stylistic classification
The band was not a representative of classical country music, but played a mixture of alternative country and rock. This is how the band name came about, which can be translated as The Great Gap . It was intended to express the gap that, in the opinion of the musicians, existed between the two styles and in which they wanted to move musically. In the Daily Oklahoman , the music style was described as a mix of Texas Music , the Doors, and Alternative College Country . The band members viewed their music as a "tribute to the American Dream ". In addition to country and rock songs, the band has also released a gospel album and a song with Caribbean influences.
In the 90s, the band developed into one of the most successful and style-defining representatives of Red Dirt music. She was one of the first representatives of the scene to celebrate commercial success and was thus jointly responsible for bringing Red Dirt closer to the mainstream market. John Wooley of Tulsa World called her one of the "early popularizers" on the scene.
occupation
| Full name | Date and place of birth | instrument | Time in the band | resume | Supporting documents) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael "Mike" Ray McClure | July 6, 1971, Tecumseh , Oklahoma |
Vocals, guitar | 1992–2003 2011– |
McClure grew up in Tecumseh. As a student, he was one of the founders of the band in 1992, where he appeared as a lead singer, guitarist and songwriter. He released his first solo album in 2002 before leaving the group for good in 2003. He has since been active with the Mike McClure Band. Since the reunification in 2011 he has been back on stage with The Great Divide . | |
| Scotte Dale Lester (also Scott) |
January 31, 1964, Stillwater, Oklahoma |
Rhythm guitar, vocals | 1992–2007 2011– |
Lester grew up in Stillwater with his younger brother JJ. From 1983 to 1987 he was with the US Marines. As a firefighter, he eventually learned to play the guitar. He only gave up his profession in 1993 when the band decided to start a professional music career. In it he worked as a rhythm guitarist and second lead singer. He has been working full-time in the real estate business for several years and has two children. | |
| Jeffrey John "JJ" Lester | July 16, 1968, Edmond , Oklahoma |
Drums | 1992–2007 2011– |
Lester grew up in Stillwater with his older brother Scotte. He studied theology and met Kelley Green around 1992. As a drummer he was one of the founding members of the band; For a while he was also active in the band No Justice . After the band ended, he became a pastor. He is married and has two children. | |
| John Kelley Green | January 22, 1968, Little Rock , Arkansas |
bass | 1992–2007 2011– |
Green grew up in the Ozark Mountains . He moved to northeast Oklahoma in 1988 before moving to Stillwater as a student two years later. As a guitarist he joined a band there. In 1992 he met JJ and Scotte Lester and eventually became bassist for The Great Divide. After the group split up, he worked for a Stillwater steel company. He is the father of two sons. | |
| Micah Ray Aills | January 3, 1972, Washington Court House , Ohio |
Vocals, guitar | 2003-2007 | Aills learned to play the guitar at a young age and founded a band with his brother and best friend in 1990. After the group ended in 2002, he contacted JJ Lester in the summer of 2003. So he was accepted into the band as the successor to Mike McClure. After the band broke up around 2007, he returned to Ohio, where he is again active in his old band. |
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title | Chart placements | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Country albums |
Billboard 200 |
|||
| 1994 | Goin 'for Broke | - | - | Broken Records, Campfire Records |
| 1996 | Break in the storm | 69 | - | Broken Records, Atlantic Records |
| 1999 | Revolutions | 73 | - | Atlantic Records |
| 2000 | Afterglow: The Will Rogers Sessions | - | - | Broken Bow Records |
| 2001 | Dirt and Spirit | - | - | Broken Records |
| 2002 | Remain | - | - | 92E Records |
| 2005 | Under your own sun | - | - | Time records |
Live albums
- 2003: Absolutely Live Volume 1
- 2003: Absolutely Live Volume 2
Compilations
- 2018: 25 Years of The Great Divide
Singles
| year | title | Chart placements | album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Country songs |
Billboard Hot 100 |
|||
| 1998 | Never could | 74 | - | Break in the storm |
| Pour Me a Vacation | 59 | - | ||
| 1999 | Break in the storm | - | - | |
| San Isabella | - | - | Revolutions | |
| 2001 | Out of Here Tonight | - | - | Afterglow: The Will Rogers Sessions |
| Days Go | - | - | ||
| Wild horses | - | - | ||
| 2002 | Lost in the night | - | - | Remain |
| 2004 | Freedom | - | - | (single only) |
| 2005 | Crazy in California | - | - | Under your own sun |
| 2006 | The plan | - | - | |
| 2018 | Bound to Be There Soon | - | - | 25 Years of The Great Divide |
Web links
- The Great Divide on Allmusic (English)
- The Great Divide on Facebook
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- ^ Anne Freeman: A Great Time With 'The Great Divide'. In: MusicDish e-Journal. MusicDish LLC., October 13, 2002, accessed July 7, 2014 .
- ↑ a b c d e Sandi Davis: The Great Divide faces the divide lead singer McClure striking out on own. In: NewsOK.com . OPUBCO Communications Group, January 31, 2003, accessed November 29, 2013 .
- ↑ John Wooley: The Show Must Go On. In: okmag.com. Schuman Publishing Company, July 2012, archived from the original on March 2, 2014 ; accessed on January 22, 2014 (English).
- ↑ Return Of The Great Divide. In: okmag.com. Schuman Publishing Company, August 23, 2011, accessed July 7, 2014 .
- ↑ Lisa Young: The Great Divide Basks in the 'Afterglow'. In: cmt.com. Country Music Television, Inc. , October 18, 2000, accessed July 16, 2013 .
- ^ Aaron M. Moore: Playing in the Dirt: Stillwater and the Emergence of Red Dirt Music . 2010, p. 67 .
- ^ Abby Gibson: The Great Divide to Reunite for College Days. (No longer available online.) In: txdr.com. Texas Red Dirt Roads, May 3, 2011, archived from the original on December 3, 2013 ; accessed on July 16, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Nick Spacek: Oklahoma's Great Divide is back on the road after hiatus. lawrence.com, July 25, 2012, accessed January 22, 2014 .
- ↑ Christy Cowan: The Great Divide: Not just a landmark anymore! In: 2steppin.com. Tsab, Inc., 1998, archived from the original on December 5, 1998 ; accessed on March 28, 2014 (English).
- ↑ Biography: The Great Divide. In: thegreatdivide.com. The Great Divide, archived from the original on December 17, 2003 ; accessed on July 8, 2014 .
- ^ The Great Divide & Friends. In: MP3.com. MP3.com, Inc., archived from the original on June 1, 2000 ; accessed on March 28, 2014 (English).
- ↑ Lauren Schmitzer: Country Radio Warms Up To Laid-Back Caribbean Sounds . In: Billboard, March 28, 1998, pages 24/27 (English)
- ↑ Brandy McDonnell: Interview: The Great Divide revisits College Days this weekend at Stillwater's Tumbleweed. (No longer available online.) In: NewsOK.com. OPUBCO Communications Group, September 21, 2012, archived from the original on March 2, 2014 ; accessed on March 6, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ John Wooley: Divide and conquer. In: tulsaworld.com. BH Media Group Holdings, Inc., July 29, 2005, accessed May 4, 2014 .
- ↑ Scotte Lester (bio). In: thegreatdivide.com. The Great Divide, archived from the original on June 8, 2009 ; accessed on March 28, 2014 (English).
- ↑ a b c d Jared F. Cranke: Great Divide Reunites for College Days. (No longer available online.) In: stillwaterscene.com. Searching for Red Productions, archived from the original on October 6, 2014 ; Retrieved July 8, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ JJ Lester (bio). In: thegreatdivide.com. The Great Divide, archived from the original on June 8, 2009 ; accessed on March 28, 2014 (English).
- ↑ Kelley Green (Bio). In: thegreatdivide.com. The Great Divide, archived from the original on June 8, 2009 ; accessed on March 28, 2014 (English).
- ↑ Micah Aills (bio). In: thegreatdivide.com. The Great Divide, archived from the original on June 8, 2009 ; accessed on February 26, 2014 (English).
- ^ The Great Divide - Chart History (Top Country Albums). In: Billboard.com . Prometheus Global Media, accessed November 29, 2013 .
- ↑ Albums / CDs. In: thegreatdivide.com. The Great Divide, archived from the original on August 29, 2009 ; accessed on March 28, 2014 (English).
- ^ The Great Divide - Chart History (Hot Country Songs). In: Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media, accessed November 29, 2013 .
