RAGWEED, TURNPIKE AND HOW “THE BOYS FROM OKLAHOMA” ARE SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC
Nashville radio is a cesspool. That’s not to say all the artists in it are bad, but the things it stands for and represents are. It is a homogenous breeding ground for the same cookie-cutter acts singing about trucks, beer and heartache. We get 10 HARDYs for every Kacey Musgraves, or a dozen Dylan Scotts for a single Shaboozey. These generic frat boys come and go, rarely leaving an impact on the scene.
The same cannot be said for Cross Canadian Ragweed or the Turnpike Troubadours.
I grew up listening to each of these bands. The hallways of my childhood home are lined with memorabilia from Garage, Mission California, A Long Way From Your Heart and so forth. My parents played a big role in bringing the red dirt scene into my life. My classmates weren’t as lucky. Despite recommendations, they would rather give time to a guy like Morgan Wallen.
That was in 2021. Five years later, I’m seeing many of those same peers gravitate to other artists: Treaty Oak Revival, The Red Clay Strays, Koe Wetzel, and of course, the Turnpike Troubadours. It’s hard to pinpoint when the flip happened, but I suspect “The Boys from Oklahoma” roadshow played a big part.
This is where I’m going to get into a little history that I am by no means an expert in. If you want a thorough breakdown of this scene’s roots, I highly recommend checking out anything from Rolling Stone journalist Josh Crutchmer. He was in the weeds of this sh*t before I was even alive.
Anywho, our story starts in Stillwater, Oklahoma, with a little band by the name of The Great Divide. The group found some success but never broke into the mainstream. Their front man, red dirt legend Mike McClure, sure had a knack for finding talent though. He played a formative role in launching many acts in and around northeast Oklahoma. That includes a band that featured Cody Canada, Jeremy Plato, Grady Cross and Randy Ragsdale. A band that would go on to be called Cross Canadian Ragweed.
Ragweed took the spark The Great Divide had started and turned it into a wildfire. The county-rock superstars spent the 2000s breaking down barriers in the music industry. The group was larger than life, and their egos unfortunately reflected that. A mix of bad decisions and short tempers led to a 2010 hiatus.
As Ragweed was losing its wheels, a new group of Okies started to make a name for themselves. The Turnpike Troubadours, with the help of McClure, released Diamonds & Gasoline in 2010. That record sent shockwaves across the Great Plains. Its sound was similar to many others from the area. What set it apart was the writing from frontman Evan Felker. A poet in western clothes, he sunk his pen into the listener’s chest and captivated many audiences along the way. Turnpike found success in small-to-medium clubs and even served as an opening act on major headlining tours. However, that bubble was also set to burst: Felker’s struggles with drug abuse led to a break in 2018.
These two giants fell victim to their own vices and it left fans heartbroken. There were other acts carrying the genre, but it wasn’t the same.
Turnpike eventually got back together in 2021, returning with a bigger following than they’d left behind. Maybe it was lockdown giving people the chance to explore new music, or the show Yellowstone featuring their work in multiple episodes. Either way, Turnpike was now headlining arenas.
Their return was unexpected, but not impossible. Cross Canadian Ragweed, on the other hand, seemed to be done for good. All four bandmates had moved on to other projects, in music and otherwise. The odds of a full reunion were near zero.
But those odds weren’t quite zero, were they?
In September 2024, Cross Canadian Ragweed announced they would return for one weekend: a festival at Boone Pickens Stadium featuring The Great Divide, Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Stoney LaRue and the Turnpike Troubadours. “The Boys From Oklahoma,” named after one of Ragweed’s biggest hits, would be a celebration of the red dirt scene and everything it stood for. Fans went wild. Fan blogs that had long been vacant returned to life. My mom cried. It was something the community had begged for.
Over 200,000 people flocked to Stillwater that fateful April weekend. It was a party that many in the scene saw as historic. Travelers took in the sights of Oklahoma State’s campus, the taste of beer from Eskimo Joe’s and the sound of red dirt history on the stage. Nashville radio didn’t have a clue what was happening, but for those in the know, it was a spiritual experience.
The festival was originally meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime deal. But after seeing the fan response, it was clear this concert could become a tour.
Ragweed and Turnpike ended up taking “The Boys from Oklahoma” on the road. They played shows in Texas, Georgia, and most recently, my home state of Nebraska. Every show packed, every show featuring different openers. That’s the part I want to focus on now.
While this began as a Sooner State spotlight, it started to include artists from different corners of the genre. Wade Bowen, Wyatt Flores, Flatland Cavalry, Cody Jinks. All country acts, no doubt, but each one representing their own values. That’s without mentioning some of the guests who made it out to their shows: Dierks Bentley, Kaitlin Butts, Parker McCollum, the Red Dirt Rangers. Decades of sounds and styles in the countrysphere coming together to honor two legends in the space.
There’s one man I haven’t mentioned thus far who plays a small, but vital role in all of this. He’s a polarizing figure, tends to live by his own rules and definitely blurs the line between Nashville and independent. There’s one thing for certain though; he wouldn’t be the star he is without the boys from Oklahoma.
That man is Zach Bryan, and he’s taking their influence around the world.
Before reaching megastar status, Bryan was playing shows with American Aquarium and posting Turnpike covers on YouTube. He’s a man who has openly praised the red dirt/Americana scene. That didn’t stop following his shoot to the stratosphere. The songs play to many different subgenres, folk and outlaw included, yet the red dirt influence was enough to captivate younger audiences. As I watched my friends fall in love with Zach Bryan, I knew a turn to similar acts was in the cards.
A guy on a similar trajectory at the moment is the aforementioned Wyatt Flores. His 2023 record Welcome To The Plains is one of the best of the decade and he’s openly admitted the album doesn’t happen without The Great Divide, Turnpike or Ragweed. He’s played “The Boys From Oklahoma” festival twice, once as a guest and another as an opener. Both concerts showed a young kid, just a year older than myself, grinning ear to ear as he made music with his idols. Flores has gained a very young audience, one that hopefully does their homework to find where he got that sound.
He’s not the only one either: Dexter & The Moonrocks, The Droptines, Katie Pruitt. Once again, artists who don’t share much DNA, but who have all benefitted thanks to the boys from Oklahoma.
As I stood in Memorial Stadium last month, taking in the sounds of my childhood, I couldn’t help but think how far red dirt has come in my lifetime. I live in Texas now, a state that has long championed these bands. But Cross Canadian Ragweed and the Turnpike Troubadours are no longer a red dirt secret. They’re pioneers who everyone gets to enjoy.
Nashville radio will never touch these bands. Too abrasive, too non-conforming, won’t play the politics of it all. They don’t care. The boys from Oklahoma will continue to do their thing, and the fans will continue to follow, even if they roll their joints all wrong.
