MEMPHIS, TN (July 19, 2024) – Big Radio Records, a label of Memphis music mainstay Select-O-Hits, has inked Christopher Wyze & The Tellers for their debut album, ‘Stuck in the Mud.’ The 13-track studio release is scheduled to drop on June 21, 2024.
“I learned about Wyze & the Tellers from a producer-friend. Their blues, it grabbed him,” says Johnny Phillips, who heads the label. Phillips listened and quickly decided he wanted Wyze’s Stuck in the Mud sound for his new and growing Big Radio Records label. “These guys lay down a fresh sound, but with an ‘old as mud’ feel to it,” he adds with a smile.
And Johnny Phillips should know. The label he runs operates within industry trailblazer Select-O-Hits, established in 1960 by his father, Tom Phillips and his uncle Sam Phillips of Sun Records fame. The company has been a part of more than 300 gold, platinum and Grammy-winning albums, including many blues hits over the past six decades, the latest being a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for Brother Johnny by Edgar Winter.
And while the band name Chistopher Wyze & The Tellers may be new to the blues scene, frontman, harp player and singer-songwriter Wyze is anything but.
“I spent two decades doing blues standards,” says the Indianapolis-based Wyze. “It gets inside you and the stories just bubble up.” He penned lyrics for the album in Clarksdale, ‘Miss.’ Recently, Nashville Songwriters Association International named Wyze a “One to Watch” songwriter (December 2023). A co-writer joins Wyze on each ‘Stuck in the Mud’ track.
Cover art for 'Stuck In The Mud'
Recording in Muscle Shoals, AL and Clarksdale, MS, producer Ralph Carter directed the sessions. Classic rock lovers may know Carter from the prominence he reached early in his career as a tour musical director, bass player and song co-writer with Eddie Money. His works include the smash hit, “Shakin.” In the blues world, Carter has written, toured, recorded and produced with Sugar Ray Rayford and Franck L. Goldwasser (Paris Slim), among others. Christopher Wyze handles lead vocals on all thirteen tracks, adding blues harp to seven of them. Other featured artists include Eric Deaton on acoustic, electric and slide guitar for Muscle Shoals tracks and Cary Hudson on electric, acoustic and slide guitars for Clarksdale tracks.
It’s truly an honor to join forces with Big Radio Records and have the chance to share our music with the world. We pour our hearts and souls into every note, and we're thrilled to have found a home where our vision can flourish.”
- Christopher Wyze of Christopher Wyze & the Tellers
Deaton has been a key contributor to the Grammy-winning sound of the Black Keys, on tour and in studio, notably on their hit blues album Delta Kreme. Singer-songwriter/guitarist Cary Hudson, called “a national treasure” by Jason Isbell, formerly fronted the beloved rock band Blue Mountain. In 2023, he was named Artist of the Year by Southland Music Line.
‘Stuck in the Mud’ is one of three blues albums to be unveiled by Big Radio Records this summer. Wyze & The Tellers also premiered the video single of ‘Stuck in the Mud’ on June 19th to coincide with the album pre-order kickoff. The full album debuts on June 21, 2024, with distribution via digital platforms, online retail outlets, and brick-and-mortar record stores by Select-O-Hits.
Music fans can sign up for release updates at: www.ChristopherWyze.com or visit the label www.BigRadioRecords.com
About Christopher Wyze & The Tellers:
After dreaming up songs for 15 years, Christopher Wyze is emerging as a powerful lyricist, having been named a “One to Watch” up-and-coming songwriter by Nashville Songwriters Association International in December 2023. His original outlook blends with the sounds and experiences that have shaped him: blues, rock-n-roll, Americana, and country, all melded together with Wyze’s distinctive voice and storytelling style. Born and raised in the southern hills of Indiana, Wyze has been deeply influenced by his time spent in the Mississippi Delta honing his narrative voice and musical sound. His head-turning, low bass vocals capture the essence of the South that has inspired him, lending a flint-edged honesty to the tales that unfold in his songs. Wyze's vignette's ebb and flow across time-frozen tales of humanity and hope, while not shying from the dark corners. Indeed, after one time through, listeners may find themselves returning in the days to come for frequent re-listens that add deeper meaning with every repeat.