| Fast Ryde | |
|---|---|
James Harrison (left) and Jody Stevens, June 2010 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Years active | 2008-present |
| Labels | Republic Nashville |
| Associated acts | Scott Borchetta, Jeff Stevens |
| Members | |
| James Harrison Jody Stevens |
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Fast Ryde is an American country music duo composed of singer-songwriters James Harrison and Jody Stevens, both of whom sing and play guitar. The duo was signed to Republic Records Nashville and has released three singles: "That Thang," "Make It Rain," and "Top Down," That Thang reached #38 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Contents |
Fast Ryde was founded in 2008 by Jody Stevens and James Harrison, natives of West Virginia and Florida, respectively.[1] Jody Stevens is the son of songwriter Jeff Stevens, who has written hits for George Strait and Tim McGraw and produces for Luke Bryan.[2] Both Stevens and Harrison decided to work as songwriters in Nashville, Tennessee, and chose to form a duo.[1] In 2009, Fast Ryde signed to Republic Records' newly-established Nashville division, through the assistance of Scott Borchetta.[3][4]
Fast Ryde's first single release was "That Thang," which the duo wrote after Stevens suggested that the two write a "booty song."[1] This song was met with mixed reviews. Juli Thanki of The 9513 gave the single a thumbs-down rating, criticizing the song for its repeated use of sung syllables and its similarity in theme to Trace Adkins' "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk."[5] Alison Bonaguro, who reviewed the song in the blog for television network CMT said that it was a "a nice little catchy rocker."[6] Bobby Peacock of Roughstock also compared it to "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk," but also called the song a "silly little piece of ear candy."[7] The song peaked at #38 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in mid-2009.
The duo released "Make It Rain" in October 2009. Robert K. Oermann of Music Row Magazine said that the song was "quite listenable and easy-smooth,"[8] and Peacock called it "just what Fast Ryde needs to get their foot in the door."[9] It received a thumbs-down from The 9513's Jim Malec, who considered its lyrics "amateurish" and derivative of Jason Aldean's "Amarillo Sky."[10] "Top Down" was released as the duo's third single. It was also made into a music video, directed by Chris Hicky. After failing to chart with their second and third singles, they were released from Republic Nashville and their debut album was not released.
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||||||||
| 2009 | "That Thang" | 38 | Non-album songs | ||||||
| "Make It Rain" | — | ||||||||
| 2010 | "Top Down" | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Top Down" | Chris Hicky |