Ricochet is 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, o ...

band from Oklahoma. The band was founded in 1993 by brothers Jeff Bryant (

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

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

) and Junior Bryant ( fiddle,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

, vocals), along with Heath Wright (

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 th ...

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 feature ...

, fiddle), Greg Cook (

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 s ...

, vocals), Teddy Carr (

steel guitar A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...

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 origin ...

), and Eddie Kilgallon ( keyboards,

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guita ...

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

, vocals), After several years of playing throughout the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, Ricochet was signed to a recording contract with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in 1995. Their self-titled debut album produced three straight Top Ten hits 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 advertis ...

'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts, including the Number One single " Daddy's Money"; the album was also certified gold in the United States. The band followed its debut album with 1997's '' Blink of an Eye'', which also produced several hits on the country music charts. A third album, titled ''What a Ride'', was slated for release in 1997, but was not released; however, their 2000 album ''What You Leave Behind'' contained tracks from this cancelled album. After being dropped from Columbia in 2001, Ricochet released a live album on an independent label. Ricochet's latest album ''15 years and Counting'' has produced the crowd favorite "Sweet Tea". Ricochet's membership has changed significantly over time. Of the original six members, only Heath Wright remains, alongside Chris Hempfling (vocals, drums), Rick Toops (vocals, keys), Bruce Bennett (vocals, bass) and Larry Hight (vocals, rhythm/lead guitar, steel, dobro and saxophone).

Beginnings

Ricochet was founded in 1993 by brothers Jeff (born December 27, 1962) and Junior Bryant (born October 23, 1968), who at the time were members of a band called Lariat, in which Jeff played drums, and Junior played fiddle and mandolin. The two brothers had invited lead singer Heath Wright (born April 22, 1967) to join Lariat; although the other members of Lariat disbanded not long afterward, the Bryant brothers and Wright decided to form a new group known as Ricochet. The three members held auditions to recruit additional members, finalizing in 1994 with a six-piece lineup composed of Jeff, Junior, and Heath, as well as Teddy Carr (steel guitar, tenor vocals) (born July 4, 1960), Greg Cook (bass guitar, bass vocals) (born January 28, 1965), and Eddie Kilgallon (keyboards, rhythm guitar, saxophone, baritone vocals) (born May 12, 1965). Under this lineup, Ricochet toured throughout the

, where they soon became known for their high-energy, mainstream country music sound. They often spent their downtime rehearsing and writing songs.

1995-1997: Major-label debut

Through the help of the band's manager, Ricochet was recommended to Blake Chancey, an A&R director for the

label and they were signed to a development deal. By early 1995, the deal turned into a full-fledged recording contract with the label; in addition, they were signed as an opening act for

Doug Stone Doug Stone (born Douglas Jackson Brooks; June 19, 1956) is an American country music singer and actor. He debuted in 1990 with the single " I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)", the first release from his 1990 self-titled debut album for Epic Rec ...

Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit " The ...

and

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled ...

. Ricochet's self-titled debut album, ''Ricochet'', was released in 1996. The song " What Do I Know" served as its lead-off single, and was a Top 10 hit on the ''Billboard'' country music charts. It was followed by " Daddy's Money" (their only Number One hit to date) and " Love Is Stronger Than Pride", also a Top 10. The album remained on the

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...

charts for more than a year, and was certified gold in the United States. Ricochet's rendition of "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bo ...

", recorded for Columbia's ''NASCAR: Hotter Than Asphalt'' album, charted at number 58.

1997-1999: ''Blink of an Eye'' and ''What a Ride''

Ricochet's second album, ''Blink of an Eye'', was released in 1997. Although its lead-off single, "He Left a Lot to Be Desired", was a Top 20 hit, the album did not perform as well as its predecessor. A third album for Columbia, tentatively titled ''What a Ride'', was recorded in 1998; although three of its singles entered the country charts, the album was not released.

2000-present

A bout of

carpal tunnel syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the collection of symptoms and signs associated with median neuropathy at the carpal tunnel. Most CTS is related to idiopathic compression of the median nerve as it travels through the wrist at the carpal tu ...

forced Jeff Bryant to leave the group in 1999; he was subsequently replaced by Tim Chewning on drums. Around the same time, Shannon Farmer replaced steel guitarist Teddy Carr, after Carr and his wife were preparing for their first child. With the new members in place, Ricochet recorded the album ''What You Leave Behind'' in 2000; included on it were several tracks from the unreleased ''What a Ride'', most notably their cover of

Steve Young Jon Steven Young (born October 11, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccan ...

's "

Seven Bridges Road "Seven Bridges Road" is a song written by American musician Steve Young, recorded in 1969 for his '' Rock Salt & Nails'' album. It has since been covered by many artists, the best-known versions being a five-part harmony arrangement by English m ...

". Two of the songs that were newly recorded for ''What You Leave Behind'' were also released as singles before the band exited Columbia's roster in 2000. In 2001, Eddie Kilgallion left the band to tour with

Montgomery Gentry Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo founded by singers Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, both Kentucky natives. They began performing together in the 1990s as part of two different bands with Montgomery's brother, John Michael Mo ...

. The following year, Junior Bryant departed to spend time with his wife and children. A live album, titled ''The Live Album'', was issued in 2004 on the independent Cowtown Records label. In September 2008, the band released a compilation album entitled ''Ricochet Reloaded--Hits/Plus'', which includes a combination of their greatest hits and newly recorded material. The latest release in 2012 entitled ''15 Years and Counting'' is a compilation of Hits, fan favorites, and newly recorded material. In 2014, bassist Greg Cook left the band to become the Tour Manager for Ricochet's close friends,

The Swon Brothers The Swon Brothers are an American country music duo from Muskogee, Oklahoma, consisting of Zach Swon (born February 21, 1985) and Colton Swon (born August 17, 1988). In 2013, they finished in third place on the fourth season of NBC's ''The Voice ...

, after the Swon's successful season on the hit show, ''The Voice''. Jeff and Junior Bryant's nephew,

Chase Bryant Chase Spencer Yaklin, better known by his stage name Chase Bryant (born October 9, 1992) is an American singer and songwriter. Bryant is a family name shared by his grandfather, Jimmy Bryant, who performed with Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings. In ...

, is also a singer.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Other charted songs

Music videos

Awards & Nominations

Awards

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 musi ...

* 1996 Top New Vocal Duo or Group

Nominations

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...

* 1997 Vocal Group of the Year

* 1996 Top Vocal Group

Billboard Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by ''Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of t ...

* Top Country Song - " Daddy's Money"

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricochet Country music groups from Oklahoma Musical groups from Oklahoma Musical groups established in 1993 Columbia Records artists