Strahan is a native of Lamesa, Texas (close to Lubbock) where hard core Country crashed into raw Rock & Roll every weekend on the area’s dance floors. On Friday night at the local National Guard, there might be a Tejano band playing Mexican music, a Fiddle band playing Texas Swing, or a local Outlaw like Joe Ely on stage. The big acts that came to town were groups like ZZ Top and Ted Nugent or Floyd Cramer and Chet Atkins. Bluesmen, like Albert Collins and Buggs Henderson, were regulars on the bar scene in Lubbock. Strahan idolized them all. There was a wide variety of music with great musicians in every band and one common thread; they all rocked! Strahan scrutinized these musicians and watched them every chance he got, even if it meant watching through the window, because he was too young to get in the dancehall. All he wanted to do was emulate them.
Inspired by all the live music of the Panhandle area, Strahan started a band at age 12. They played around Texas during the late 70’s and early 80’s. Strahan eventually left Lubbock for bigger musical pastures in Austin. During the 1980’s he played in countless bands covering genres from straight country to heavy metal from Austin to San Diego. When he wrote his own music, however, Strahan’s musical foundation and those sounds he heard as a kid in the Red Dirt region of Texas all blended together to form what you now hear, “Red Dirt Blues.”
Frustrated with the state of the music industry and the popularity of “boy bands” in the late 80’s, Strahan put his music career on “part time” status and returned to college. His goal was to find a career where he could make enough money to pay for his own recordings and promote his material independent from the major label “machine.” He decided to become a lawyer, work hard to build his own studio, and then return to music when the time was right. He was a successful trial lawyer in Texas for ten years and his plan to once again pursue a music career came to fruition in 2000. His timing was actually perfect with the advent of “Independent” music labels and Internet/Satellite Radio.
In 2000, Jeff quit the practice of law and returned to his true love, music. He moved to Colorado to breathe some fresh mountain air, fly fish, and rest in the tranquil beauty of the area. He needed to escape the crazy deadline inundated schedule and city bustle he had become caught up in. Colorado provided the perfect area for musical inspiration and examination of his soul. The end result was a new and refreshed Strahan who could now spend his time performing, writing, and recording music on his own terms. He is devoted entirely to it and could not be happier.
His current band is comprised of seasoned and accomplished, yet young, musicians. “We actually have a brotherhood forged by our love of music and common sense of humor,” says Strahan. This is a hard working band paying its dues in the club and festival circuit in an effort to gain national recognition. They have recorded four CDs. Their most recent CD is scheduled to be released within the next two months. One of the bands crowning accomplishments last year was to compete as a semifinalist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January 07. The band has recently been selected to compete in Memphis once again in February 08. Their success in getting to this level of International Competition has boosted their confidence and put their enthusiasm at an all time high. We guarantee that you will enjoy these guys and their music.
