Ward Hayden and the Outliers, formerly known as Girls, Guns and Glory (GGG), is a band from Boston, Massachusetts. They currently release music independently but formerly had signed with Lonesome Day Records and released albums with Sony RED, MRI and Dry Lightning Records in the US, as well as through Proper in the UK and Rough Trade in Europe. Their music is a mix of old school country, early rock 'n' roll, blues, and country rock. Inspiration is taken from Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Johnny Horton classics. Ward Hayden and the Outliers has garnered seven Boston Music Awards (BMA). They were the 2011 winner of the BMA for "Americana Artist of the Year", and were nominated in the "Live Artist of the Year" category. They were also the 2019 winner of the BMA for "Country Artist of the Year". The band is popular throughout Europe and Scandinavia and has toured there for several years. Their 2016 album ''Love and Protest'' was a top 5 album in Norway and peaked at #1 on the Norway country album charts. The band has released seven studio albums and a live album, the most recent being ''Can’t Judge a Book'' (2019). Two more studio albums are currently in the works.

History

The band was formed in 2005 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Ward Hayden and bassist Bruce Beagley, joined shortly afterward by lead guitarist Colin Toomey and drummer John Graham. Colt Thompson replaced Toomey in 2007. 2008 led to the bands third studio recording and their first Top 10 album "Inverted Valentine", which peaked at #8 on the Americana Music Association (AMA) Chart. It was the highest charting album by an Independent band that year and led to the band being courted by numerous Major and Independent record labels in the US and Europe. After re-releasing "Inverted Valentine" with label support in 2009, the band embarked on two years of non-stop touring, racking up close to 200 shows a year in 2009 and 2010. During this time the band toured with Yarn,

Lake Street Dive Lake Street Dive is a multi-genre band that was formed in 2004 at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. The band's founding members are Rachael Price, Mike "McDuck" Olson, Bridget Kearney, and Mike Calabrese. Keyboardist Akie Bermiss ...

, Della Mae,

Bill Kirchen William Knight Kirchen (born June 29, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a member of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen from 1967 to the mid-1970s and later worked with Nick Lowe. ''Guitar Player'' magazine desc ...

, Eilen Jewell, Bobby Bare Jr,

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, Drag The River, and

Slim Cessna's Auto Club Slim Cessna's Auto Club is an American country music, country band from Denver, Colorado. Formed in 1992, the band is known for lyrics which describe apocalypse, apocalyptic and religious imagery. History Formation Original lineup The sole ...

. By 2010, Hayden was the sole original member left in the band, with Boston-based guitarist Chris Hersch and bassist Paul Dilley joining. A second guitarist, Joe Keffler, also toured with the band in 2010. By 2012, Josh Kiggans became the band's third drummer replacing Michael Calabrese, also of the Boston-based band

. In 2014,

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

included the band in its list of the top 10 new country artists that fall. Rolling Stone also reviewed the band's live Hank Williams tribute album. Their third album, 2011's ''Sweet Nothings'' featured a collaboration (the song "1000 Times") with local Massachusetts alternative country musician Sarah Borges. In 2011, the band opened for

Wanda Jackson Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country and gospel. She was among the first women to have a career in rock and roll, ...

. In 2016, Hersch left the band and was replaced later that year by Cody Nilsen. Also in 2016, the band decided to release new music independently, beginning with the album ''Love and Protest.'' The album featured local Massachusetts sideman

Duke Levine Duke Levine (born November 29, 1961) is an American guitarist, known primarily for his rock and country music playing as a session musician. Levine was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. He has recorded and performed with Shawn Co ...

as guest lead guitarist because it was recorded between Hersch's departure and Nilsen's arrival. The band also featured a touring lead guitarist during this time. After Nilsen joined the band, they opened for

NRBQ NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed around 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re ...

. In 2018, the band dropped the name Girls, Guns and Glory because of the polarizing issue of gun control in the

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. Also in 2018, the band opened for

The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet originating in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in Southern gospel during the 1950s. Their name was chang ...

, Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Los Lobos, and

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerabl ...

. Their seventh studio album, ''Can't Judge A Book'', mostly featuring covers, some of which were re-imagined by the band, has recently been released. Also in 2019, the band opened for Midland. In 2021, the band will again open for Los Lobos.

Members

Current members

* Ward Hayden — lead vocals, rhythm guitar, double bass, drums (2005–present) * Josh Kiggans — drums, mandolin, percussion, piano, vocals (2012–present) * Cody Nilsen — vocals, lead guitar, pedal steel guitar, dobro, slide guitar, baritone guitar (2016–present) * Greg Hall – vocals, bass (2020–present)

Former members

* Bruce Beagley — bass guitar (2005-2008) * John Graham — drums (2005-2009) * Colin Toomey – lead guitar (2006) * Brendan Murphy – percussion (2006) * Colt Thompson — harmony and backing vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar (2007-2010) * Justin Maxwell — bass guitar, double bass (2009-2010) * Michael Calabrese — drums (2009-2012) * Chris Hersch — vocals, lead guitar, banjo (2010-2016) * Joe Keffler – rhythm guitar (2010) * Paul Dilley — vocals, bass guitar, double bass, lead guitar, piano, Mellotron, drums, mandolin (2010–2020)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:90 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:10/01/2005 till:01/01/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Rhythm_guitar id:lead value:teal legend:Lead_guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:dbass value:darkblue legend:Double_bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:album value:black legend:Studio_album id:perc value:claret legend:Percussion id:touring value:yellow legend:Touring_member Legend = position:bottom columns:3 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:2006 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:2006 LineData = layer:back color:album at:01/01/2006 at:01/28/2014 at:11/04/2016 BarData = bar:Ward text:"Ward Hayden" bar:Bruce text:"Bruce Beagley" bar:John text:"John Graham" bar:Toomey text:"Colin Toomey" bar:Murphy text:"Brendan Murphy" bar:ColtT text:"Colt Thompson" bar:Maxwell text:"Justin Maxwell" bar:Michael text:"Michael Calabrese" bar:ChrisH text:"Chris Hersch" bar:Keffler text:"Joe Keffler" bar:PaulD text:"Paul Dilley" bar:Josh text:"Josh Kiggans" bar:Cody text:"Cody Nilsen" bar:Greg text:Greg Hall PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Ward from:10/01/2005 till:end color:guitar bar:Ward from:10/01/2005 till:end color:vocals width:3 bar:Ward from:01/01/2018 till:03/21/2018 color:bass width:7 bar:ColtT from:09/01/2007 till:02/01/2010 color:lead bar:ColtT from:09/01/2007 till:02/01/2010 color:guitar width:3 bar:Toomey from:01/01/2006 till:09/01/2007 color:lead bar:Murphy from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2008 color:perc bar:Bruce from:10/01/2005 till:03/01/2009 color:bass bar:John from:10/01/2005 till:06/01/2009 color:drums bar:PaulD from:09/01/2010 till:02/27/2020 color:bass bar:PaulD from:01/01/2018 till:02/27/2020 color:vocals width:3 bar:PaulD from:09/01/2010 till:01/01/2018 color:dbass width:3 bar:PaulD from:01/01/2018 till:02/27/2020 color:dbass width:7 bar:Josh from:02/27/2012 till:end color:drums bar:Keffler from:04/01/2010 till:01/01/2011 color:guitar bar:ChrisH from:02/01/2010 till:08/01/2016 color:lead bar:ChrisH from:01/01/2015 till:08/01/2016 color:vocals width:3 bar:Michael from:06/01/2009 till:02/27/2012 color:drums bar:Maxwell from:03/01/2009 till:09/01/2010 color:bass bar:Maxwell from:03/01/2009 till:09/01/2010 color:dbass width:3 bar:Cody from:09/29/2016 till:end color:lead bar:Cody from:01/01/2018 till:end color:vocals width:3 bar:Greg from:02/28/2020 till:end color:bass bar:Greg from:02/28/2020 till:end color:vocals width:3

Discography

2000s

* Fireworks & Alcohol (2006) * Pretty Little Wrecking Ball (2007) * Inverted Valentine (2008)

2010s

2020’s

* Free Country (2021)

References

External links

www.wardhaydenandtheoutliers.comwww.girlsgunsandglory.com
(former website, until 2018)