NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Them Dirty Roses is a southern rock band from Gadsden, Alabama. Brothers James Ford and Frank Ford, along with their hometown friends Andrew Davis and Ben Crain, taught themselves to play music by learning how to bend a string and break a heart like Skynyrd and Hank.
In 2014, the foursome piled into a van with their belongings, instruments, and plenty of whiskey on ice and made their way to Nashville, Tennessee.
Crain, who is the base player, wasn’t even 21 yet and remembers sitting out in the cold in their van while the other three partied at the local bar.
The lead singer, James Ford, had a girlfriend who had an extra bedroom, so the rest of the band hunkered down on blow-up mattresses in the spare room.
Crain said, “Back then, it was so hard for each of us to come up with $300 bucks a month. It was crazy.”
One of the main questions I (and others) had was where the band name came from. It turns out that James Ford landed on the name after they had just moved to Nashville. Walking on Broadway late at night, there was an argument with his girlfriend, and a guy on the street was selling roses that he probably got out of the trash somewhere. He offered them to James Ford to make the girl happy, and he said, “I don’t want them dirty roses.” The argument was over, and they knew they had the band name.
Because they were terrifically talented, the four soon made a name for themselves. In 2017, they released a self-titled EP containing the hit songs “Whiskey in My Cup” and “Molly.”
But it would be the tune “Cocaine and Whiskey” that would forever change their lives.
James Ford explained, “I was watching a show on TV, and it was police officers that were coming to check out some kind of domestic dispute in a trailer park. They were arguing about which one had cheated and giving the ring back. When the cops showed up the girls shouted, ‘Well, he’s got like a bunch of my cocaine in the trailer. If he gives me all that back, then I’ll give him his ring back,’ And I was thinking, ‘What? That’s not something you tell the police.’”
They did what any good musician in Nashville would do: They wrote a song about it: “If you give me back my cocaine, I’ll give you back your ring.” This is a case where real life is truly stranger than fiction.
Over 100 million streams followed, cementing Them Dirty Roses’ place on the southern rock landscape.
One of the other big hits from that EP is “Grew Up in the Country,” and that song illustrates their lives growing up in rural Alabama. “I grew up in a trailer park, so I can confirm it,” Ben stated.
These young men play their music like bands that have been together for 30 years or more.
Crain stated, “We certainly aren’t the best band we ever heard, but we had a good little jump on the game. I do think we have a certain chemistry that can’t be denied.”
But don’t let their modesty fool you. Davis slays his with his axe as well as any guitarist out there. Crain and Frank Ford keep the crew rocking along on bass and drums. But it is James Ford’s gritty, honest vocals that will turn you into a believer. You’ll be hooked from the first spoken line of a song.
In 2023, the guys released the record Lost in the Valley of Hate & Love, Volume 1. The album generated the hits “Good Life, “Sunday Drunk,” and “Holy Roller.”
Now in 2024, they are trickling out songs from Lost in the Valley of Hate & Love, Volume 2. The first song they released was “Candle in the Dark,” one of the few songs they did not write. “Every now and then, we’ll hear a song, and we’re like, ‘We got to cut that,’” Frank Ford confirmed.
A few weeks ago, they released “Birmingham Steel,” a telling song that reminds us why their style of music is so completely relevant. Inspired by the band’s home state of Alabama, the lyric video pays tribute to the Birmingham steel industry, the dedicated steelworkers, and their families. Written during COVID with their pal Phillip Brian White, the song came together effortlessly and showcases the “good side of our sound that we don’t get to touch much,” Crain explained.
Their newest single, out this weekend, “A Bad Hand,” may be one of the band’s favorites on the new EP. And while the tune certainly has the raucous rowdiness that we have come to expect from Them Dirty Roses, it’s the clever lyrics that drew me in.
Words like Jokers are wild tonight/ Aces are high/ Givin my Jack a shot / One more time/ Go on a take a chance/ Go on and roll the dice/ Cause my queen, my queen ain’t treating me right, show that even with a rockin’ song, the words are carefully crafted.
When you have four grown men who must spend as much time together as Them Dirty Roses do, rarely, the original four are still together after ten years. That alone could help account for their tight, electrifying, powerful sound. Where some have deemed that southern rock is essentially dead, Them Dirty Roses proves that they are more than just alive; they are kicking ass and taking names.
Them Dirty Roses are a living example of the quintessential rock and roll American Dream. Their live show calls for a shot of whiskey and a 2-for-1 special, but what it means is that you better be ready to throw back 12-for-6 as you shake it up with Them Dirty Roses.
Them Dirty Roses are touring throughout the US, but I am especially excited about their show at the Cannery Hall’s The Mil in Nashville on October 4th. It’s going to be rocking!
You can follow Them Dirty Roses on its website, Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and all streaming platforms.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X.
