by Mark Deming
Stoney LaRue plays music that combines the rootsy, emotionally honest sound of country with the beer-drinking swagger of heartland rock and a dash of the moody undercurrents of the blues. LaRue was born in Taft, TX, to a musical family -- his father played bass in a number of local bands -- and he grew up listening to the country and Southern rock that would inform his later work. When he was a teenager, LaRue's family pulled up stakes for Oklahoma, and with time LaRue would become part of the Stillwater, OK, &Red Dirt& musical community, along with likeminded acts such as Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jason Boland, and Mike McClure. Forming a road band called the Organic Boogie Band, LaRue began storming honky tonks and dancehalls in Oklahoma and Texas, winning a loyal following for his passionate live shows, and in 2002 he released his first album, Downtown, recorded during a concert for a specially invited audience at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, OK. The album was a solid calling card for LaRue and his group, and they began spending most of the year on the road, playing up to 300 dates a year, but in 2005 LaRue stayed in one place long enough to record his first studio disc, appropriately titled The Red Dirt Album, which earned enthusiastic reviews and cast a stronger focus on LaRue's skills as a songwriter. In the spring of 2007, LaRue released his third album, which was also his second live set -- Live at Billy Bob's Texas, recorded during a 2006 gig at the famous Fort Worth venue.