The Savage Radley

my early years

A lot of folks outside of Western Kentucky don’t know this, but before signing my first record deal I performed and wrote under the moniker “The Savage Radley.” When I was recently asked to submit some items for the Country Music Hall of Fame, I realized that I’ve been quite the memory hoarder throughout my musical journey. Being that I had been tasked with going through all my old music memorabilia, I decided to take a little time to organize everything for moments such as this. It was probably after stuffing some old show fliers into a cheap Wal–Mart paper protector that the thought to share some of my past musical ventures first emerged. So let me take you back to 2011, even into 2010, where we can trace the throughline of the music I was creating then, and see how it has shaped where I am now.  

Pictured: Preston Bradley, Matthew Rowan, and Stephen Montgomery. We were at Stephen's house to practice in 2011.

I always tell folks that I started writing music closer to the vein I’m in now, after the passing of my Grandmother, Chrysteen Goodman. I had been writing pop music until then, but there was something that didn’t feel like home about performing it live, and I think after someone you love dies, you find yourself grasping for that “home” feeling in everything. So in 2010, I wrote four tracks that had a more folk sound, some of those songs were recreated on both “Old Time Feeling” and “Teeth Marks.” I will reveal the track names at a later date. I went to Nashville and made some demos and was ready to dive into a new sonic dimension that felt like where I was from and akin to the people who raised me. 

If you’ve ever tried to name a music project post–Myspace, you’ll understand that coming up with anything remotely cool is impossible. But there I was, settled on naming that endeavor “The Savage Radley.” A younger version of myself thought it was so edgy to pay respect to my literary hero, Boo Radley. Today’s version of myself feels like I’m looking back at a try hard “scene” haircut when I read it aloud. 

I immediately went to work developing a live show for my new music, the problem was my drummer who I had been playing pop music with was moving to Austin, TX. He suggested I look up Stephen Montgomery, who coincidentally happened to be in a college course of mine at the time. If you’ve been to a show of mine, yes I am talking about my current drummer and pal, Stephen. We go way back. Post–punk and bluegrass were popular in my area, and the earliest formation of The Savage Radley was composed of folks who came from those roots. 

After listening to those early demos, Stephen Montgomery was willing to start practicing with me. I recently phoned Stephen for a little help recalling how things unfolded from there—unfortunately the specifics are hazy for us both. This was 2011 mind you, and a lot of life has happened in between then and now. All I remember is that one day Stephen was being dropped off or picked up from my little rental house, and the driver was none other than Matthew Rowan, who would later record on both “Old Time Feeling” and “Teeth Marks.”. Matt had been crashing on Stephen’s couch while in between moving from Louisville, KY to Murray, KY. Being my roommate was out of town for the summer, I offered my spare room to Matt until he found a spot, and it was during that time that Matt started joining us for practice and introduced me to Preston Bradley, a stand–up bass player who was in town. 

We would gather at Stephen’s place to practice in his spare bedroom which had been lined with twin mattresses for sound absorption. This was the first time in my life having regular band practice, and I was lucky enough to experience that with some of the finest musicians the universe had to offer. I have an early tape recording from Stephen’s house of us covering Hank Williams, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” Enjoy the tune and pictures from those early days. The journey will continue soon.

Hate to leave good company,

SG