Fast Ryde was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

duo composed of singer-songwriters James Harrison and Jody Stevens, both of whom sing and play guitar. The duo was signed to Republic Records Nashville and has released three singles: "That Thang", which charted at number 38 on Hot Country Songs, plus "Make It Rain" and "Top Down".

History

Fast Ryde was founded in 2008 by Jody Stevens and James Harrison, natives of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

and Florida, respectively. Jody Stevens is the son of songwriter Jeff Stevens, who has written hits for George Strait and

Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those album ...

and produces for Luke Bryan. Both Stevens and Harrison decided to work as songwriters in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, and chose to form a duo. In 2009, Fast Ryde signed to Republic Records' newly established Nashville division, through the assistance of

Scott Borchetta Scott Borchetta (born July 3, 1962) is an American record executive and founder of the Big Machine Label Group. He started the label in 2005 with 13 employees, as its president/CEO and encompasses four imprints: Big Machine Records, BMLG Recor ...

. Fast Ryde's first single release was " That Thang," which the duo wrote after Stevens suggested that the two write a "

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song." This song was met with mixed reviews. Juli Thanki of Engine 145 gave the single a thumbs-down rating, criticizing the song for its repeated use of sung syllables and its similarity in theme to

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' " Honky Tonk Badonkadonk." Alison Bonaguro, who reviewed the song in the blog for television network CMT said that it was "a nice little catchy rocker." Bobby Peacock of Roughstock also compared it to "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk," but also called the song a "silly little piece of ear candy." The song peaked at 38 on the U.S. '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts for the week ending September 26, 2009. The duo released "Make It Rain" in October 2009. Robert K. Oermann of

MusicRow ''MusicRow'' is a Nashville music industry trade publication which has been providing reviews, breaking news, and in-depth coverage for 40 years. The publication delivers online content in addition to six annual print magazines including its InCha ...

said that the song was "quite listenable and easy-smooth," and Peacock called it "just what Fast Ryde needs to get their foot in the door." "Top Down" was released as the duo's third single. It was also made into a music video, directed by Chris Hicky. After failing to chart with their second and third singles, they were released from Republic Nashville and their debut album was not released. In late 2013, Stevens produced and performed all instrumentation on

Cole Swindell Colden Rainey Swindell (born June 30, 1983) is an American rock music singer and songwriter. He has written singles for Craig Campbell, Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery, and Luke Bryan, and has released four albums for Warner Bros. Records Nashvil ...

's debut single "

Chillin' It "Chillin' It" is the debut single by American country music artist Cole Swindell. Swindell co-wrote the song with Shane Minor. Swindell released the song independently in March 2013 as a digital download. In July 2013, Swindell signed a record de ...

Discography

Singles

Music videos

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Country music groups from Tennessee Country music duos Musical groups established in 2008 Republic Records artists Musical groups from Nashville, Tennessee