There was a time not long ago when the Turnpike Troubadours thought they were done.
With a decade-long run behind them, the six-piece band of road-warrior brothers had risen to become perhaps the most successful “Red Dirt” group in history, with legions of fans all over the world. But like the Icarus of indie country, maybe they flew too high.
They had released four studio albums that became instant classics, fusing pure country sonics with the high-voltage energy of born entertainers (and the mischievous wit of a barroom poet). They had amassed over one billion streams and were booking arenas and amphitheaters, sharing billing with the biggest mainstream stars and remaining proudly independent, still planted in Oklahoma. And then, in 2019, it all stopped.
Burned out and battling a tabloid frenzy, the band canceled shows at the last, out August 25.