Iron Horse

Iron Horse was formed in 2000 in the famous hit recording capital of the 60s and 70s, Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The band consists of four members including Vance Henry, guitar, lead & tenor vocals; Anthony Richardson, banjo, baritone & bass vocals; Ricky Rogers, bassist, baritone & lead vocals; and Tony Robertson, mandolin, lead & tenor vocals. The band members' roots go back to the late 1970s, when Tony Robertson and Ricky Rogers were charter members of the popular local group The Next in Line. Through the many years that followed Robertson and Richardson continued to quench their musical appetites in several regional groups playing in bands that included bluegrass icons such as Rual Yarbrough, Jake Landers and others. Iron Horse was formed to sort of stretch the boundaries a little from traditional Bluegrass to a little less traditional; but still stay true to the heart of what bluegrass music means to them.

Iron Horse was approached in January 2002 by Jim Silvers of Los Angeles-based CMH Records, and ask to record two demo tracks pertaining to the heavy metal band Metallica. “Do them as bluegrass songs with your flare” was the request from the label. These two songs led to what eventually turned into a ten-track project, “Fade to Bluegrass,” which was released in October 2003 to critical acclaim and eventually made it on the Grammy nomination list. That release sealed a relationship with CMH that still flourishes today. The group then began to tour more nationally and internationally and has done so for some 20 years now. Iron Horse has toured throughout the United States, as well as the Bahamas, Canada, Netherlands, Belgium and France.

Iron Horse’s music has been well received across the world and the band has had thousands of requests via their web page guest book from all over the world to "please come and play in our country." Their music has been played on the space shuttle to wake the astronauts and used for bumper music on nationally recognized news outlets. A cut of “Night on the Sun” from the Modest Mouse tribute was included in an episode of the HBO series True Blood.