Editorial Note— Soraya Alcalá

The Red Clay Strays’ recognition as Group of the Year by the Academy of Country Music® marks a defining moment for a band whose rise has been built on authenticity rather than industry formulas. Their sound, rooted in discipline and identity, expands the vocabulary of American music while preserving the emotional clarity that audiences continue to seek. Awards of this level do more than celebrate success — they acknowledge artistic conviction, technical precision, and the ability to connect without artifice. The group’s trajectory reinforces a truth that remains constant in music: credibility is earned, never manufactured.

© Soraya Alcalá · Original Editorial Note

The Alabama band earns one of the Academy of Country Music®’s top honors

The Red Clay Strays have earned their second career Academy of Country Music® Award for Group of the Year at Sunday night’s 61st annual award ceremony in Las Vegas. This is the band’s first time winning this category, following their 2025 win for New Duo or Group of the Year. Backed by a full gospel choir, The Red Clay Strays performed their latest single “Demons In Your Choir.” Rolling Stone said, “the performance showed why the Alabama band was worthy of their win for Group of the Year.”

WATCH THE ACM AWARDS PERFORMANCE OF

“DEMONS IN YOUR CHOIR”

This milestone for the band comes ahead of their eagerly anticipated new album, Grateful, arriving via HBYCO Records/RCA Records on Friday, June 5. A collection of 11 rollicking, soul-searching songs that can spill out of dance halls on Saturday night and fill church steeples on Sunday morning in equal measure, Grateful marks the latest chapter in The Red Clay Strays’ inspiring journey from their hometown of Mobile, AL, to packing arenas around the world with audiences ready to partake in an old-school roots-rock revival. The record was produced once again by 9x GRAMMY® Award-winner Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit).

The band first set out with something to prove on 2022’s RIAA Gold-certified crowdfunded debut LP, Moment of Truth, and then carved a path through hardship on 2024’s acclaimed Made By These Moments, earning them 3x RIAA Platinum certification for the #1 hit single, “Wondering Why,” worldwide critical applause, and a growing collection of accolades including the Americana Music Honors & Awards’ 2024 “Emerging Artist of the Year,” the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards’ 2025 “New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year,” and the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards’ 2025 “Vocal Group of the Year.”

The Red Clay Strays will celebrate Grateful with an epic North American headline tour – the award-winning, 3x RIAA Platinum-certified band’s biggest live run thus far.

The Grateful Tour ’26 begins July 30 at Columbia, MD’s Merriweather Post Pavilion and then travels into mid-November. Highlights include headline shows at such iconic venues as Boston, MA’s TD Garden (August 1), New York City’s Madison Square Garden (August 9), Vancouver, BC’s Rogers Arena (August 30), two nights at Nashville, TN’s Bridgestone Arena (October 22-23), and Atlanta, GA’s State Farm Arena (November 13).

A wide array of special guests will join the Mobile, AL-based rock band on select dates throughout the Grateful Tour, including The Revivalists, Dylan Gossett, Wyatt Flores, Muscadine Bloodline, Shane Smith and The Saints, Sierra Ferrell, Travis Tritt, Haley Reinhart, Brent Cobb, and Australia’s own Sweet Talk.

MAY
24 – Norfolk, VA – Patriotic Festival

JUNE
5 – Nashville, TN – CMA Fest presented by SoFi †
13 – Columbus, OH – Buckeye Country Superfest †
18 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
21 – Bloomington, IL – Tailgates N’ Tallboys †
24-28 – Rexford, MT – “The Red Clay Strays Fan Fest 2026” at Abayance Bay Marina
26 – Calgary, AB – Country Thunder Alberta †

JULY
11 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Country Club †
17 – Twin Lakes, WI – Country Thunder Wisconsin †
19 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Frontier Days
30 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion *

AUGUST
1 – Boston, MA – TD Garden *
5 – Laval, QC – Place Bell *
7 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann **
9 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden **
15 – Des Moines, IA – Iowa State Fair
16 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center #
18 – Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center #
19 – Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Event Center #
21 – Bozeman, MT – Brick Breeden Fieldhouse §
22 – Missoula, MT – Adams Center #
26 – Spokane, WA – Numerica Veterans Arena ##
27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena ##
29 – Portland, OR – Moda Center ##
30 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena ##

SEPTEMBER
2 – West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center #
4 – Stateline, NV – Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic #
6 – Aspen, CO – Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Experience †
11 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center #
12 – Ontario, CA – Toyota Arena #
16 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena San Diego #
17 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena #
19 – Pryor, OK – Born & Raised Music Festival †
20 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center +
26 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond †
30 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre *

OCTOBER
1 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena *
3 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena *
7 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena ++
14 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center *
15 – Savannah, GA – Enmarket Arena *
17 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium *
18 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena *
22 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena ^
23 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena ^
28 – Knoxville, TN – Food City Center ^^
31 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena ++

NOVEMBER
5 – Baton Rouge, LA – Raising Cane’s River Center ‡
6 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena ‡
8 – Jonesboro, AR – First National Bank Arena ‡
13 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena ||

† Festival Appearance
* w/ Special Guests The Revivalists & Haley Reinhart
** w/ Special Guests The Revivalists & Brent Cobb
# w/ Special Guests Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk
§ w/ Special Guests TBA & Sweet Talk
## w/ Special Guests Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk
+ w/ Special Guests Muscadine Bloodline & Sweet Talk
++ w/ Special Guests Shane Smith and The Saints & Brent Cobb
^ w/ Special Guests Sierra Ferrell & Brent Cobb
^^ w/ Special Guests Wyatt Flores & Brent Cobb
‡ w/ Special Guests Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb
|| w/ Special Guests Travis Tritt & Brent Cobb