The Amazing Rhythm Aces

This Memphis-based group combined country, R&B, rock and blues, arriving at a gritty Country Rock sound that found some favor with the Outlaw Country scene for awhile. The group was fronted by Russell Smith, a sharp songwriter who seemed to instinctively know how to condense his disparate influences into a three-minute gem that hinted at tradition as it retained its edge. Russell has an evocative, robust vocal style that is gritty and twangy. The group hit the charts a couple of times in the mid 1970s and won a Grammy Award in the country category in '76. They were a big concert attraction at the time that Southern Rock, Country Rock and Outlaw Country were all intersecting and sharing a similar audience. After breaking up at the end of the '70s, they reformed in the mid '90s.