SHOTGUN DIXIE is a six-piece country / variety band based in central Illinois. This is a group of veteran musicians and singers who have played together off and on for over 10 years. These guys have had the honor and privilege of sharing the stage with Nashville recording stars BOBBY PINSON, KEITH BRYANT, DARYLE SINGLETARY, CONFEDERATE RAILROAD, JASON ALDEAN, DIERKS BENTLEY, and, most recently, RANDY HOUSER! SGD is very thankful to these artists, 97.3 River Country, and Jay Goldberg for making these memorable and humbling performances possible. Below you'll find brief personal bios for each of the members of SHOTGUN DIXIE. Please scroll down to see all six. Read and enjoy!
Steve Towery is an experienced and accomplished vocalist who has been singing professionally most of his adult life. He handles the lead vocals on well over half of SHOTGUN DIXIE's nightly set lists. When not singing lead Steve does a great job on harmony vocals. In addition to being the band's lead vocalist, Steve also contributes to SHOTGUN DIXIE's overall musical presentation by playing acoustic guitar on most of the band's tunes. On a few songs Steve puts down his guitar and grabs a percussion instrument (cowbell, tamborine, or "shaker"). Steve has a very smooth and versatile voice which lends itself well to the variety of country and country-rock music which SHOTGUN DIXIE performs. He does a great job on everything from beautiful ballads and hard-driving country to country-rock and classic rock.
Tug Thompson is the band's lead guitarist. Like all the members of the band, Tug is very experienced and versatile. This guy feels right at home whether he's playing Johnny Cash & Merle Haggard, Jason Aldean & Craig Morgan, or ZZ Top & Lynyrd Skynyrd. In addition to playing a solid lead guitar, Tug is a very good lead vocalist. He sings lead vocals on many classic country tunes as well as some southern rock 'n' roll. Tug was the founding member of the band, HOG WILD, which was the first band that brought these musicians together and which made this group very popular in the local country music scene. Tug has well over 30 years of professional performing experience!
Alan Stufflebeam is an accomplished drummer with 35 plus years of professional performing experience! Regardless of the type of song the band is playing Alan provides a strong and steady beat and is the driving force behind the tune. In addition to laying down the beat, Alan sings harmony vocals on the majority of SHOTGUN DIXIE's song list and provides lead vocals on several tunes including several classic and southern rock songs. Alan does most of the booking and handles most of the other business aspects of the band. This guy is one of the most respected drummers and surprisingly good vocalists in the central Illinois country-rock music scene.
Steve Harris is a violinist (oops, I mean a fiddler!) extraordinaire. You won't find another fiddle specialist of Steve's accomplishments anywhere else in central Illinois. His musical contributions to the band can not be overstated. His fiddle playing helps give SHOTGUN DIXIE it's unique sound and allows them to cover more precisely some of today's top country hits as well as many country classics. In addition to his fiddling, Steve is also an accomplished guitarist. On many tunes Steve puts down his fiddle and picks up his guitar and complements Tug's licks with some of his own. On the classic and southern rock tunes as well as some of the modern country songs, Steve contributes some solid rhythm guitar and some hot licks of his own to help round out the musical presentation of the group.
Michael Dean is the youngest musician in SHOTGUN DIXIE, but he has a ton of professional experience. He is an accomplished bass guitarist who has played a wide variety of musical styles throughout his career, but he would rather play country music than anything else. Mike lays down a bass line the way it's supposed to be done. Mike and his "Uncle Alan" comprise one of the most solid and "tightest" rhythm sections of any country band you'll hear anywhere in central Illinois. When called upon Mike can pull off some excellent lead riffs of his own and contributes to the vocal arrangements with some background vocals on a few of SHOTGUN DIXIE's country and rock tunes. You won't find a more talented bassist between here and Chicago or St. Louis. He may be a quiet guy, but he lets his playing do his talking for him!
Randy Williams is the newest member of SHOTGUN DIXIE. Since all of the other members of the band have many, many years of experience, it was decided what the band needed was some new blood with no experience at all! Actually, Randy has run sound for the band, been a head roadie, and has sung hundreds of hours of karaoke. Randy helps out on background vocals, announcing, percussion (occasionally), and is the band's version of the class clown. Randy's role is to help get the crowd involved with the performances and to add some versitility to the band's music with some well-placed background and harmony vocals. In addition, Randy helps out with promotion and bookings. By the way, Randy is the youngest (non-musician) member of the group and the ONLY single (unmarried) member.