The Lost Trailers are 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, ...

band. Established in 2000, the band originally comprised Ryder Lee (

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

), Manny Medina (guitar), Andrew Nielson (

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

), Stokes Nielson (vocals,

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

), and Jeff Potter (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

). Originally known as Stokes Nielson and the Lost Trailers, the band made its debut at a

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

picnic held by country singer

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

. That year, the Lost Trailers self-released its debut album ''Story of the New Age Cowboy'', followed in 2002 by ''Trailer Trash'', followed by 2004's ''Welcome to the Woods'' on

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

. After switching to

BNA Records BNA Records, formerly known as BNA Entertainment, was a label group that shared ties with Arista Nashville and RCA Nashville from parent company Sony Music Nashville, which itself is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Nashville, T ...

in 2006, the band issued a self-titled effort, which produced the singles "Call Me Crazy" and "Why Me", both of which entered 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 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. A fifth album, '' Holler Back'', was released in August 2008, producing a top ten country hit in its title track and a top 20 in "How 'Bout You Don't". In 2011, singer/songwriter Jason Wyatt joined Stokes Nielson, launching a re-establishment of the Lost Trailers. This re-established group released the single "Underdog" with the record label HRT Records & Productions, and then released "American Beauty". Lead singer Jason Wyatt announced he was departing the duo in April 2014 to focus on a solo career. In the summer of 2014, the Lost Trailers set out on their summer tour, featuring Stokes Nielson, along with longtime fixture/guitar-slinger Charles Longoria, bassist Jimmy Lykens and Jeff Dane on vocals.

History

Stokes Nielson and Ryder Lee began writing and producing music together in

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the seat of Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia ...

. Their first album together was the self-issued ''The Story of the New Age Cowboy'' in 2000. Initially, Ryder and Stokes worked with a bass guitarist and a drummer, forming a group known as Stokes Nielson & the Lost Trailers (later shortened to The Lost Trailers). The name was derived from the fact that the band's equipment trailers had been stolen on three separate occasions. At the time, Stokes Nielson was also working as a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

for a radio station in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. In 2000, after an on-air interview with

, Stokes offered him a demo version of the Lost Trailers' material. Nelson then offered the band an opportunity to play at a

picnic, which he held annually in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Stokes took to the role of lead singer, while Ryder played keyboards and provided backing vocals. Eventually, the band's membership was later finalized with Lee on keyboards, Stokes' younger brother, Andrew, on bass guitar, Jeff Potter on drums, and Manny Medina on bass guitar. The band then gained a following throughout the Southeast and Texas, performing more than 200 shows yearly.

First albums

In 2002, the Lost Trailers recorded their second album, entitled ''Trailer Trash''. A third album, ''Welcome to the Woods'', followed two years later on

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

, although its singles failed to chart. Record producer

Blake Chancey Blake Chancey (born September 11, 1962) is an American record producer and music business executive, known primarily for his work in country music. Formerly an executive vice president and chief creative officer for Sony Music, he later formed a ...

, who has worked with the

Dixie Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and E ...

and

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

, saw the band perform at a concert in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, and offered to work with them. Renee Bell, a talent executive for

, had also seen the Lost Trailers perform at another concert. She then recommended the band to the label's president, and the Lost Trailers were signed to a recording contract with BNA in 2006. At this point, Lee took over the role of lead vocalist. Their first chart single, "

Chicken Fried "Chicken Fried" is a song by American country music group Zac Brown Band, which frontman Zac Brown co-wrote with Wyatt Durrette. The song was first recorded in 2003 for the 2005 album ''Home Grown''. A second version was then released in 2006 by ...

", was released in early 2006, peaking at number 53 on the

charts. This single was withdrawn because Zac Brown, who wrote the song, had a clause in the licensing contract that they were not allowed to release the song as a single, which they did, and he wanted to record the song himself. Brown ultimately recorded the song as a member of the

Zac Brown Band Zac Brown Band is an American country music band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini ( fiddle, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, banjo, ukulel ...

, whose rendition was a number one hit in late 2008. Despite the cease and desist, the band continued to occasionally perform "Chicken Fried" live, as recently as 2012. "Chicken Fried" was then withdrawn and replaced with "Call Me Crazy", which peaked at number 43. Following it was "Why Me", which reached number 45. These latter two songs were both included on the Lost Trailers' self-titled album for BNA, which was issued in August of that year.

2008

In 2008, the Lost Trailers went on a nationwide tour with fellow country music artists

Keith Anderson Keith Anderson (born January 12, 1968) is an American country music artist. Before signing to a record deal, Anderson was one of several co-writers on "Beer Run (B Double E Double R-U-N)", a duet by Garth Brooks and George Jones, released in lat ...

and Chris Young. The band's fourth single for BNA, " Holler Back", was released in early 2008. "Holler Back", which reached #9 on the country charts in late 2008, is also the title track to the band's second album for BNA. The band was also nominated for Top New Vocal Duo or Group and Top Vocal Group at the 2009

Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country music ...

awards. Following "Holler Back" was "How 'bout You Don't", which was released in October and peaked in the top 20. "All This Love" was originally to have been the third single, but after "Country Folks Livin' Loud" charted as an album cut, it was sent to radio as the third single instead. They were nominated again for the 2010 Academy of Country Music Top New Vocal Group. In May 2010, the band announced that it would disband following its last concerts in September.

2011

In 2011, the Lost Trailers released a collaboration single with Corbette Jackson, entitled "Heart of a Champion".{{cite web, url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/heart-champion-feat-the-lost/id42468743, title=Heart of a Champion (feat. The Lost Trailers) - Single, website=Itunes.apple.com The song, penned by Nielson and Jackson, is inspired by Coweta County firefighter Chris Landreau's fight against stage 4 cancer. Stokes Nielson also performed a special concert in Albany, Georgia with Jackson and Jason Wyatt. After several band members left to pursue other interests, Nielson started over with the Lost Trailers, joining with collaborator and lead vocalist Jason Wyatt. The Lost Trailers opted to work with Harrison Tobin of HRT Records & Productions for the release of their next single. The first radio single, "Underdog", was released in late 2011 by HRT Records & Productions. It made the top 40 on the country charts. "American Beauty" followed in mid-2012. Wyatt announced his departure in April 2014. He now produces for several artists in Nashville as Jason Wyatt Productions.

Discography

Studio albums

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" , - ! rowspan="2" style="width:16em;", Title ! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;", Album details ! colspan="3", Peak chart positions , - style="font-size:smaller;" ! style="width:45px;", US Country ! style="width:45px;", US ! style="width:45px;", US Heat , - ! scope="row", ''Story of the New Age Cowboy'' , * Release date: September 8, 2000 * Label: Two State Brothers , — , — , — , - ! scope="row", ''Trailer Trash'' , * Release date: November 11, 2002 * Label: Self-released , — , — , — , - ! scope="row", '' Welcome to the Woods'' , * Release date: April 20, 2004 * Label:

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, — , — , — , - ! scope="row", ''

The Lost Trailers The Lost Trailers are an American country music band. Established in 2000, the band originally comprised Ryder Lee (lead vocals, keyboards), Manny Medina (guitar), Andrew Nielson (bass guitar), Stokes Nielson (vocals, lead guitar), and Jeff Potte ...

'' , * Release date: August 29, 2006 * Label:

, 46 , — , 16 , - ! scope="row", '' Holler Back'' , * Release date: August 26, 2008 * Label: BNA Records , 5 , 32 , — , - , colspan="5" style="font-size:8pt", "—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

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! style="width:45px;", US
, - , rowspan="2", 2004 ! scope="row", "Down in the Valley" , — , — , — , rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;", ''Welcome to the Woods'' , - ! scope="row", "Longfall"{{cite web, url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2004/RR-2004-04-30.pdf, title=Triple A - Going for Adds, work=

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, date=April 30, 2004 , — , — , — , - , rowspan="3", 2006 ! scope="row", "

" , 52 , — , — , {{n/a , - ! scope="row", "Call Me Crazy" , 43 , — , — , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", ''The Lost Trailers'' , - ! scope="row", "Why Me" , 45 , — , — , - , rowspan="2", 2008 ! scope="row", " Holler Back" , 9 , — , 66 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3", ''Holler Back'' , - ! scope="row", " How 'bout You Don't" , 17 , — , 104 , - , 2009 ! scope="row", "Country Folks (Livin' Loud)" , 36 , — , — , - , 2011 ! scope="row", "Underdog" , 37 , — , — , rowspan=3 {{n/a , - , 2012 ! scope="row", "American Beauty" , 47 , 40 , — , - , 2013 ! scope="row", "Don't Give Up on Me" , — , — , — , - , 2018 ! scope="row", "Smoke Signals" , — , — , — , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3", ''Between Stages''

Other charted songs

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" , - ! rowspan="2", Year ! rowspan="2" style="width:14em;", Single !, Peak positions ! rowspan="2", Album , - style="font-size:smaller;" ! style="width:65px;", US Country , - , 2009 ! scope="row", "All This Love" , 55 , align=left, ''Holler Back''

Music videos

{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" , - ! Year ! style="width:14em;", Video ! Director , - , rowspan="2", 2006 ! scope="row", "Call Me Crazy" , Traci Goudie , - ! scope="row", "Why Me" , Eric Welch , - , 2008 ! scope="row", "Holler Back" , rowspan="2", Tyson Wisbrock , - , rowspan="2", 2009 ! scope="row", "How 'bout You Don't" , - ! scope="row", "Country Folks (Livin' Loud)" , Harrison Tobin/The Lost Trailers , - , 2012 ! scope="row", "American Beauty" , Stokes Nielson

References

{{Reflist

External links

{{commonscat
Official Website
{{The Lost Trailers {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Lost Trailers Country music groups from Georgia (U.S. state) BNA Records artists Country music duos Musical groups from Atlanta Musical groups established in 2000 Republic Records artists