February 7, 2007

We finished the mixes for the new Red Dirt Rangers record today. Now, the tapes go off to mastering, and then the birth of the long awaited new Rangers CD: Ranger Motel. We've been working in a temporary space that will eventually be the guitar shop after phase one of the new studio is finished. Building progress has been slow because of the weather, but I'm optomistic about getting back at it in the next week or two. And that's something... I'm very seldom optomistic about anything! Cheers...

December 13, 2006

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Oklahoma! First of all, there's a steady stream of orders for the Tractors Christmas records. We're getting to all of them as fast as we can. If you're still thinking of ordering, please hurry. We've run out once already, but managed to get another shipment in. I'm not sure how long those will last. Also, you can download The Santa Claus Boogie music video on iTunes.

After nineteen years, we have sold The Church in Tulsa. Any sadness is more than cancelled out by the excitement about the move to "The Farm" and the new studio we're building there. I can hardly wait until new recording starts at the studio in the woods. Farm Music!

Though all projects were temporarily set aside while we concentrated on the daunting task of the sale of the building and the big move of the equipment, I'm happy to report that a new Tractors record is finished and waiting for release sometime early next year. The album features songs and performances by the two Tractors big brothers: J.J. Cale and Leon Russell. Cale keeps saying it's the best Tractors record ever.

Merry Christmas from Pawnee County!

March 18, 2006

Our good friends, The Red Dirt Rangers, are in the studio making a new record. This will likely be the last album we make here. After the Rangers record, we a pulling the plug on The Church Studio. We've been here for over eighteen years. We are selling the building and our wonderful vintage Neve console. We are going to build a studio in the woods at the farm. End of an era, but the beginning of a new one.

The legendary Augie Meyers was here for a few days as a guest of the Red Dirt Rangers to play accordion, B3, and of course, THE VOX ORGAN. Augie was a founding member of two iconic bands: The Sir Douglas Quintet and The Texas Tornados. He played great and mesmerized us all. We're having a great time making some excellent music.

Stay tuned,

November 8, 2005

THE KIDS RECORD

Hey Kids! Guess what? Big doin’s here in Tractor Land. The long-awaited, much-anticipated, Tractors kids CD is finally available!

This is something I have wanted to do ever since my own kids, Elvis and Angelene, were little 20+ years ago. As a matter of fact, the song I made up and sang to them when they were small is included on the new CD. It’s called “Spin Around When They Dance.” They ran/jumped/danced around the house in a very crazed fashion, acting out the lyrics and screaming until their faces turned red.

Also included are versions of “This Old Man,” “The Wheels On The Bus,” and “Old MacDonald Had A Farm.” Our favorite kids songs with the unmistakable, undeniable, non-duplicatable, quite-remarkable Tractors groove. And you ain’t heard nothin’ like Uncle Steve singin’ “E-I-E-I-O” and makin’ farm-animal noises! This is a limited pre-release version. Santa says this is the best thing since Yo-Yos and Hula Hoops.

Keep your chickens warm,

Uncle Steve & The Tractors



July 21, 2005

Well, it’s been over a year since last posting some news.  Yikes!  We’ll try to do better.

So, first things first...  The new Tractors record is finally finished.  We’re excited.  Songwriting, playing, and singing by both Leon Russell and J.J. Cale.  Official release will be February/March of 2006, but we may make some pre-release copies available through the website in October.  We will let the fan club members know with a special email.  If you haven’t joined the fan club, now would be a good time.  Also, we are about to make the Tractors Kids Record available on a limited basis.

On a personal note, Charlene and I have moved to the farm where I grew up, by Pawnee, Oklahoma.  We love it (though it takes an hour to drive to the studio).  

Stay tuned,



6:00 AM–June 7, 2004

Early morning notes:

Fats Kaplin and his wife Kristi Rose were in town for a week. Fats indeed played everything in sight—Pedal steel guitar, Fender non-pedal steel, mandolin, bottle-neck guitars, keyboard and button accordions, acoustic slide, and of course, fiddle. As always, he filled the studio with genius noises. We never fail to have a great time when Fats and Kristi Rose hit Tulsa. Lots of wonderful late-night dinners where the red wine gently flows.

And then... A record wind-storm hit Tulsa, and we were without power for 4 days. That put a big hole in the recording. Even though we had power for the regular stuff at the studio, the air-conditioners didn’t work, and the equipment was in danger of overheating, so we had to leave it off most of the time. Things are back on track now. I’ve started doing my “real” vocals. Singing my heart out so-to-speak. Casey will also be in this week to play bass and sing. Bud Deal and Mike Panno are flying in from California in 2 weeks to play some horns. Very exciting.

For those of you who get ESPN2, I’m singing the theme on a show about dog-training called K9 Nation. My good friend, Scott Mathews, wrote the song and played all of the instruments (what a handy guy). We’re going to put the show “open” up on the website this week. Watch for that. Also, I re-wrote a verse from a song called “Chicken Covers” which is on The Kids Record. A wonderful character named Woody is the dog trainer host of the show. I worked in a little of his philosophy, along with the names of the 5 dog “contestants.” I really just did it for fun (and for Woody) on one of those days when the air conditioner wasn’t working. You can listen to it on the "Work In Progress" page on the Tractors home page.

Cheers,



May 19, 2004
Latest Tractors album coming soon!

Things are going well with the recording of the new Tractors record.  It will be the first mainstream studio Tractors album since the Fast Girl CD in 2001.  Leon Russell wrote one song for the record called “Good Old Days,” and co-wrote another with me called “Up Jumped The Boogie.”  He plays piano and sings on those two songs.  J.J. Cale also contributed a new song for the record called “Rhythm Bone.”  He sings and plays on that one.  Fats Kaplin and his wife Kristi Rose arrive this evening from Nashville.  Fats will be playing everything in sight—several kinds of steel guitars, fiddle, accordions, harmonicas, mandolin, slide guitar, banjo, and maybe the kitchen sink.  The Tractors kids record, now titled “The Kids Record aka Chicken Covers,” is finished and waiting for a release date...hopefully in October.  We haven’t been hearing from you enough lately.  Send us an email and say howdy.

Best to all,




November 9, 2003
Steve Ripley inducted into the Red Dirt Music Hall of Fame.

Considered one of the founders of “Red Dirt Music” Steve was inducted as a Hall of Fame member at the first annual Red Dirt Music Awards held at the historic Cains Ballroom in Tulsa, OK.


October 11, 2003
Steve Ripley inducted in to the Tulsa Spotnik Hall of Fame!


Steve was inducted into the Tulsa Spotnik Hall of Fame. Past Hall of Fame inductees include Bob and Johnnie Lee Wills, Patti Page, and Leon Russell. Steve’s performance was great. Read all about it in the Tulsa World article.

spotnik article>



September 5, 2003

Hey Tractor Fans...

My solo album has been nominated for an award to be presented at The Spot Music Awards ceremony here in my home town of Tulsa on October 11th.

It came as quite a surprise to everyone (especially me!) when I consented to sing a song at the festivities. It will be my first performance outside of the recording studio in over three years. I think I’m going to sing the old Carter Family song “No Depression (In Heaven)” from the Ripley record. If you happen to be in the area, come watch me miss a guitar chord or two and forget some lyrics. Yikes!

Click on the link below which will take you to the voting page. Look for the category “Best National Album” and cast your vote.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/html/SpotniksForm2003.html

The very best to everybody,





July 6, 2003
Hanson Session at The Church Studio!

On July 6th Hanson invited a hundred lucky fans to take part in a live in the studio recording for their new acoustic album called Underneath Acoustic that they will be selling exclusively at their live shows and online.

Click here to buy online



June 3, 2003
With an Oink Oink Here & and an Oink Oink There
The Tractors are busy at The Church Studio in Tulsa putting the finishing touches on a new kids album called Chicken Covers.

"When ‘Baby Likes To Rock It’ was out, The Tractors were voted Favorite Band by kids across America in a newspaper poll," notes Tractors front man Steve Ripley. "Most of our recordings are kids records at heart."

The album features several original tunes along with favorites like "This Old Man" and "Old MacDonald Had a Farm." "Making barnyard noises is not that big of a stretch for me," says Ripley with a laugh.

The title cut, "Chicken Covers," was co-written by Ripley and Tulsa-based character actor and artist, Gailard Sartain, who is also doing the album artwork. Gailard was a regular on the long-running Hee Haw television show and had recurring roles in the "Ernest" movies. He also had substantial roles in more serious fare like Fried Green Tomatoes, Mississippi Burning, and The Replacements.

"Chicken Covers" tells the age-old tale of the man from the city who could sell the hillbillies on the farm anything and everything—from covers to keep their chickens warm, to silk milking gloves and a milk-cow stereo, to a dog diploma for their "smarty-pants doggie."



March 11, 2003
Farmers in a Changing World has been re-released!

12/02
Hi fellow Tractors and Steve Ripley fans. As if the BIG NIGHT Christmas CD and the RIPLEY solo CD's weren't enough, there is now a TRACTORS/STEVE RIPLEY forum where fans can meet, greet and talk tractor! In addition to the normal forum fare, we have prizes, surprises and exclusive contests, interviews and other such crucial sundries for the wanna know, gotta go Tractor treadheads. Stop by and sign up and in and join us for nothing short of a good time.. We're at home at :

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheTractors/

Ripley # 10 on the Americana chart!

Click here to see the charts!

Ripley (new Steve Ripley solo album)

Things have been extremely busy around here this year, and there are two new albums to show for it.

My first ever “solo” record will be released on Tuesday, October 22nd. The album is called Ripley. It’s definitely one of my favorite things that I’ve ever done. The direction is a bit more personal than the Tractors records.
But never fear! The Tractors are back as well with a new Christmas record called The Big Night. I can tell you that it was great to hear that sound again in the studio, and I think your toes will be tapping when you put it on in your car or living room.
These two albums are the first on our new record label, Boy Rocking Records, which will have its home base here in Tulsa. The label is a partnership with Audium Entertainment from Nashville, and KOCH Entertainment from New York. Look for updates to the Tractors website, http://www.thetractors.com, as well as the new site, http://www.boyrocking.com, which will be up and running soon. So spread the word and keep in touch. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

"Ready to Cry"
I'm writing this message to tell all of you that we‚ve just shipped a new single to radio. It's called "Ready To Cry." I guess it's just about everybody‚s favorite song from our album, Fast Girl. It‚s one of my personal favorites because my buddy and mentor Leon Russell helped me write the song and is featured on both the Steinway piano and Hammond organ. I spent quite a bit of time in the studio remixing and editing the record for the single release.Now to the heart of the matter. We continuously receive emails, phone calls, and letters asking why there's so little Tractors music on the radio. Unfortunately, these days it takes a staggering amount of money to get any significant amount of airplay of a new song. It's such a serious situation, Congress is actually investigating the legality of the radio-promotion system. There is one and only one real alternative: The old-fashioned, tried-and-true method of listener requests. There's an old saying in radio: "The phones rang off the wall". That's what happened when our first record came out. A few radio stations played "Baby Likes To Rock It" a few times (generally in the middle of the night). Listeners spontaneously starting calling the stations, and as they say, the rest is history. What I'd like you to do is call your local country stations and ask them to play "Ready To Cry." Don't give them a break. And most of all, don't fail me on this, if by some weird twist-of-fate cosmic shift in the universe, you actually hear a Tractors record on the radio, you must call. Let them know you're out there and that you care. Thanks for all your support. Let me know about any progress you make with radio in your area.

Best regards,

Click here to listen to "Ready to Cry."

"The Big Night"
Since our former record company, Arista/Nashville, closed its doors, our Christmas album has been in very short supply and extremely hard to find. I am excited to say that we are recording a brand new Christmas album for next year. "What good does that do me now?" you ask. Well, here's how. The 1st song for the new Tractors Christmas album is finished and has been released to radio in time for this Christmas. The song talks about Santa and Mrs. Claus and Rudolph and Santa's favorite elf, Joey Jo Jo Junior, getting ready for the BIG NIGHT. Rudolph is ready to fly! The song also talks about another night 2000 years ago, when "a brand new mother laid her brand new baby on a bed of freshly cut hay. As the heavens cried out with a mighty shout, THIS IS THE BIG NIGHT!"

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from myself and The Tractors.

New Single "Fast Girl" released to radio 9/28. You guys...YOU GUYS!...have been so great with the responses to my message a while ago letting you know about the release of the new album. Many, many, many of you now have the CD, and are sending me amazing comments. I think we'll have to choose some and start putting them on www.thetractors.com. If we could get music critics to write reviews of that caliber, we would really have something.

Here's what's new. The video for "Can't Get Nowhere" starts airing on CMT on their show called Jammin' Country which airs every night at 11:00 PM CST; and on GAC (Great American Country) starting tomorrow--Thursday, May 3rd--at 8:30 CST. We don't want to get the cart before the horse--meaning wait until they've played the video--but then, we need to hit CMT and GAC with praise & requests. Your response to them will determine how much they play the video. Of course, I only want you to be honest. So here's hoping you love the video as much as we do. It shows us performing the song in our studio (The Church Studio) here in Tulsa, Oklahoma--home base for The Tractors for over 10 years.

Can't Get Nowhere features legendary guitar player and recent Rock and Roll inductee, James Burton. James has played for/with a staggering list of stars in Country and Pop and Rock and Roll--from Ricky Nelson to Frank Sinatra to Merle Haggard to Elvis Presley. If you've ever seen an old "Ozzie and Harriet" TV show, that's James standing next to Ricky Nelson. If you were lucky enough to see Elvis in concert from the 70's on, or any of the many movies and TV shows from that period of time showing Elvis in concert, that's James standing next to Elvis. He's played on all of the Tractors albums, and plays on 5 tunes on the new record, Fast Girl. I consider him an official member of the band, and hope to have him on the road for some live shows later this year. Also making a cameo appearance in the video, is Zac Hanson, drummer for the band Hanson. Pretty cool! Zac is seen driving a VW Bug picking up Jim Bates (acoustic bass) and David Teegarden (drums) who are hitchhiking their way to the studio for the session. In the car with Zac is my daughter, Angelene, and Leon Russell's daughter, Tina Rose. You should also watch for a shot of my son, Elvis, operating the mixing console. The video also features forever Tractors band members Fats Kaplin on fiddle and steel guitar, and Bud Deal and Mike Panno on saxophones. Bud and Mike travel by Train (do a lot of walking) and then hitch a ride with the Caney Valley School band in their band bus. Fats is seen being driven by his wife, Kristi Rose (an amazing singer), in a 1949 Mercury. Jay Spell (Steinway piano) is picked up in a 1959 Ford Fairlane convertible by a couple of girls who just wanna have fun...and who just happen to stop and hold up a liquor store on the way to the studio. Jay, of course, is completely oblivious to this and is just happy to get to the session. Last, but certainly not least, is my old friend Jim Pulte, who sings harmony with me on this song. I've know Jim for about 30 years. He wrote a song on our first album called "The Little Man". He's a great singer and songwriter and we were lucky to get him to help us on this tune.
So Uncle Steve once again asks for your help. Please watch for the video and then send in your requests to CMT or GAC (or both)--depending on which channel you get on your TV.

Here's how you can do it (I think):
You can make requests for CMT online or call them at 1-900-288-4CMT.
You can make requests online for GAC at http://www.countrystars.com or call them at 1-888-GAC-HITS.

You're the greatest. I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm having a pretty good time.

Our best to you all,
Steve Ripley & The Tractors

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