Combining elements of punk, boogie, outlaw country, and good old-fashioned American rock‘n’roll, Georgia Satellites were like a rowdy breath of fresh air in the midst of the modern rock 1980s. Originally founded by singer Dan Baird and lead guitarist Rick Richards in 1980, the band didn’t come into full flower until 1985, when a collection of early demos became a European sensation. Georgia Satellites signed to Elektra and unleashed their self-titled debut album the following year. It was a back-to-basics blockbuster, highlighted by dirty rock hits like “Battleship Chains” and the swaggering smash, “Keep Your Hands To Yourself,” which exploded to #2 on Billboard’s “Hot 100.”

Two more collections of rambunctious roots-fueled rock‘n’roll followed before the Satellites called it quits in 1989. Richards later reformed the band sans Baird, who remains an important figure on the Americana scene as songwriter, bandleader, and producer.

Ryan Bingham's music defies classification with folk, blues, country, and rock 'n roll all part of the recipe. It's authentic and powerful and the songs are rooted in real life - in survival and sacrifice and, yes, sometimes just having a damn good time. Nobody making music today has a voice like Bingham’s, one that has the worn and weary character of an old fighter more than twice his age but the power of a young man. It’s an intoxicating mixture that reaches new levels with the support of his talented band. Bingham is a singer-songwriter, not a product, and his latest studio album American Love Song movingly shows how the overarching theme of the personal and communal American existence can encompass triumph and tragedy from one moment to the next.

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