Pinmonkey was an American country music group formed in 2002 by Michael Reynolds (lead vocals), brothers Michael Jeffers (vocals, bass guitar) and Chad Jeffers (

Dobro Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar. The Dobro was originally ...

lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ...

), and Rick Schell (drums, vocals). Their first album, ''Speak No Evil'', was released independently in 2002. Later that same year, they signed to BNA Records and released their self-titled album. It produced the singles "Barbed Wire and Roses" and "

I Drove All Night "I Drove All Night" is a song written and composed by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and originally intended for Roy Orbison. Orbison recorded the song in 1987, the year before his death, but his version was not released until ...

", both of which charted on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

) charts. Schell departed, with Mike Crouch taking his place as drummer; Chad Jeffers also left to join Keith Urban's road band. Reduced to a trio composed of Mike Crouch, Michael Jeffers, and Michael Reynolds, Pinmonkey released their third album (titled ''Big Shiny Cars'') on the independent Back Porch label in 2006 before disbanding.

Biography

Pinmonkey was founded by Michael Reynolds, Rick Schell, and brothers Michael and Chad Jeffers. The Jeffers brothers are natives of

Kingsport, Tennessee Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston River, Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the Mountain Empire, w ...

, and had played in a band called the Habaneros, which was based out of

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

, in the 1990s. Chad attended Belmont University and after graduating in 1994, he worked in the mail room of Starstruck Studios, a recording studio owned by

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

, in addition to touring with

The Wilkinsons The Wilkinsons were a Canadian country music trio from Belleville, Ontario. Founded in 1997, the group consisted of lead singer Amanda Wilkinson, her brother Tyler Wilkinson, and their father, Steve Wilkinson. The Wilkinsons achieved success late ...

. Rick Schell, a native of Homer, New York, had moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1993 and had been hired to play on

Steve Earle Stephen Fain Earle (; born January 17, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, author, and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982. Initially working in the country music g ...

's '' I Feel Alright'' album, leading to him also playing for

Joy Lynn White Joy Lynn White (born October 2, 1961) (also known as Joy White) is an American country music singer-songwriter. White was born in Bentonville, Arkansas but raised in Mishawaka, Indiana.

, Buddy Miller, and

Elizabeth Cook Elizabeth Cook (born July 18, 1972) is an American country music singer and radio host. She has made over 400 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry since her debut on March 17, 2000, despite not being a member. Cook, "the daughter of a hillbilly s ...

. Michael Reynolds had moved to Nashville after graduating high school, and was working at a McDonald's restaurant when he befriended Chad Jeffers. This led to the formation of Pinmonkey, and all four began performing at the Sutler, a club in Nashville. The four musicians derived their band name Pinmonkey from "

And Maggie Makes Three "And Maggie Makes Three" is the thirteenth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 22, 1995. In the episode, Homer recounts t ...

", an episode of the cartoon '' The Simpsons''. Record executive Joe Galante heard the band perform at the Sutler, and signed them to BNA Records in 2002. Galante also allowed the band to release an independent album called ''Speak No Evil'', produced by Chad Jeffers and Schell, which they had completed just prior to signing. It received a positive review in ''

'', which compared the band favorably to Pure Prairie League and Poco, while also praising Reynolds' lead vocals and the musicianship. In 2002, BNA released the band's debut single "Barbed Wire and Roses". Co-written by

Tia Sillers Tia Maria Sillers is an American songwriter. She has written over 40 singles in multiple music formats, including the Lee Ann Womack single "I Hope You Dance (song), I Hope You Dance", and the Kenny Wayne Shepherd single "Blue on Black". Siller ...

, Mark Selby, and Sean Locke, the song peaked at number 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now

) charts. It served as the lead-off single to their self-titled album, released in late 2002. This album's second and final single was a cover of Cyndi Lauper's 1989 hit "

". Pinmonkey's version of the song made number 36 on the country chart in early 2003. Also in 2003, Pinmonkey began to tour with Lee Ann Womack and Brad Paisley in support of their album. A third single, a cover of Robbie Fulks' "Let's Kill Saturday Night", peaked at number 44 on Hot Country Singles & Tracks in 2004. However, the single's promotion stopped when Schell abruptly quit the band, and BNA dropped them as a result. Mike Crouch took over as drummer, while Chad Jeffers left to join Keith Urban's road band. The three remaining members — Crouch, Reynolds, and Michael Jeffers — were signed to a recording contract with Back Porch Records, with the album ''Big Shiny Cars'' being released a year later. This album produced one single in "That Train Don't Run", originally released by Matraca Berg. The album included a song written by

Kieran Kane Kieran Kane (born October 7, 1949) is an American country music artist, as well as the owner of Dead Reckoning Records, an independent record label. Between 1986 and 1990, he and Jamie O'Hara comprised The O'Kanes, a duo which charted seven si ...

, and another which featured Rusty Young and Elizabeth Cook on backing vocals. Jeffrey B. Remz of '' Country Standard Time'' reviewed the album positively, praising the

country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...

sound and Reynolds' singing voice.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

{{Authority control Country music groups from Tennessee Musical groups from Nashville, Tennessee Musical quartets BNA Records artists Musical groups established in 2002 Musical groups disestablished in 2006