“A swingin’ ode to truckers, dive bars and all the women who follow one sacred rule:
‘the higher the hair, the closer to God.” – Wide Open Country
“‘Back Here on This Throne’ gets at that deliciously glum feeling when you’re into someone, but they’re just not feeling the same way, or maybe sometimes they are? It’s messy, but the Scouts make it seem like the coolest emotional space to be.” – Adobe & Teardrops
“Cory Grinder and the Playboy Scouts have been building a solid reputation as a live band performing at times with Dale Watson and Kenny Vaughan. One can easily see how these legendary musicians view the potential in the band.” – Lonesome Highway
“Top notch playing and honky tonk sound.” – Post to Wire
On June 11, Cleveland-based honky tonkers Cory Grinder and the Playboy Scouts have released their debut album Honky Tonkin’ Beauty Supreme via Blue Arrow Records. Celebrated for their traditionalist take on country music, the band has earned both a dedicated following across the country and widespread acclaim from country and Americana outlets. At a time when the definition of country music is constantly changing, Grinder has planted his footing in the sound that comfortably sits alongside the genre’s most classic voices. Honky Tonkin’ Beauty Supreme supplies listeners with songs that run the gamut – from tear-in-my-beer ballads to modern anthems made for two-stepping.
Wide Open Country praised the record’s title track as “a swingin’ ode to truckers, dive bars and all the women who follow one sacred rule: “the higher the hair, the closer to God.” The heartaching track “Back Here On This Throne” premiered exclusively at Adobe & Teardrops, who proclaimed, “From dance halls to bar gigs, the Playboy Scouts can reign it in and bust it out.”
As reported by the Cleveland Scene, Grinder was selected as the first participant for the Cleveland Rocks Music Incubator program, which offers mentoring and financial support for local artists. Those funds are being used to support the band’s current national tour, which will make two stops in Nashville along with shows in Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Illinois. A full list of tour dates are listed below.
CORY GRINDER & THE PLAYBOY SCOUTS TOUR DATES:
JUNE 15 – NASHVILLE, TN @ HONKY TONK TUESDAY
JUNE 16 – MEMPHIS, TN @ HERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY
JUNE 17 – ST. LOUIS, MO @ EVANGELINE’S
JUNE 22 – SAN ANTONIO, TX @ TONY’S SIESTA
JUNE 23 – ELGIN, TX @ LIBERTY TREE TAVERN
JUNE 24 – FT. WORTH, TX @ MAGNOLIA MOTOR LOUNGE
JUNE 25 – FREDRICKSBURG, TX @ WESTERN EDGE
JUNE 27 – OKLAHOMA CITY, OK @ LOST HIGHWAY
JUNE 29 – LITTLE ROCK, AR @ BEAR’S DEN
JULY 1 – LINCOLN, NE @ ZOO BAR
JULY 2 – KANSAS CITY, MO @ WESTPORT SALOON
JULY 3 – CHICAGO, IL @ PHYLLIS’ MUSICAL INN
Honky Tonkin’ Beauty Supreme Track List
Without Leaving Me Behind
Honky Tonkin’ Beauty Supreme
Back Here On This Throne
Make It More
Light Headed
The Best Punishment
Drinkin’ Lots of Wine
My Own Game
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Trouble Again
The band has hit these post pandemic times running with a new album of old school Bakersfield country, chock full of hard driving trucker tunes, country waltzes and groovin’ hillbilly jams. The 10 tracks on their new record more than exemplify their Playboy Scout oath of “On my honor I will do my duty to Two Step Dancers and Honky Tonkers everywhere.”
Running the gamut from the western swing of “The Best Punishment” to the twelve string California cool of “Back Here On This Throne” and on to the barroom anthem of “Drinkin’ Lots of Wine” the sound on “Honky Tonkin’ Beauty Supreme” is reminiscent of old school Bakersfield records and was recorded with old RCA and Neumann microphones to capture that magic.
Recorded with Grammy and Emmy nominated producer David Mayfield at his Sweetside Recording Company studio in Canton, OH, The Playboy Scouts (Tebbs Karney on pedal steel, Anthony Papaleo on guitar, David Mayfield on bass and Bee Roberts on drums) back guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Cory Grinder on “Honky Tonkin’ Beauty Supreme” with a vibrant live feel that resonates throughout the record. Songs like the title cut – an ode to gorgeous, talented women, or “Trouble Again” a high flying rag about picking a fight, sparkle with a live feel not found on many recordings.
The band, who play original hillbilly tunes inspired by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, formed in Cleveland in 2016 and released their debut album Cahoots And Other Favorites in the Fall of 2018. Since then, the band has taken to the road and toured through Nashville, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Chicago, Texas, North Carolina, Detroit, and more. They are affectionately known for their blue bus and encouraging others to join their troop. The band has an exciting live show that is also quite adaptable to the setting. They fit very well playing dancehalls for two steppers, but aren’t afraid to turn it up at a rowdy bar gig. Simply put, the band aims to please. Performance highlights include featuring Kenny Vaughan from Marty Stuart’s Fabulous Superlatives on guitar for a Nashville show, as well as Dale Watson inviting them to perform as his backing band for a set at legendary Texas venues The Broken Spoke and Continental Club.
At the end of 2019, Tebbs and Grinder of The Playboy Scouts released their instrumental Christmas album, Silver & Gold, Fiddle & Steel. A collection of classic Christmas songs with a country spin performed on fiddle and pedal steel. Always seeking fun new challenges, the band has also started doing tribute shows to the band Ween, performing “Twelve Golden Country Greats” and also doing heavier, rock material from Ween’s catalog that fans have really loved. In 2020 despite multiple national tours being cancelled for the band, a five song EP Good Boy was put out in May as a teaser for the release of this year’s Honky Tonkin’ Beauty Supreme.
Cory Grinder and the Playboy Scouts have signed to Cleveland record label, Blue Arrow Records and will be touring the southwest and midwest in support of their upcoming record.