As the “Made in the Shade” album shot up the charts, Brian’s old friend and partner, Mike Lieberberg, began pressuring Brian to sign a deal to open for an upcoming Dwight Yoakam gig. Mike’s company, 5-Star Agency, had secured the deal to represent Yoakam during his 1993 USO world tour and wanted to fill the roster with top talent to back the Grammy-winning artist. But with guitarist Mickey Lee in the wind and bassist Tony Hardin recently retired, only drummer Udo Guckelsberg remained, and he had no interest in a long tour, so Brian had no band. Bummed, Brian reached out to old friends and fellow musicians Chrissy Leon and Keith Headley, and they, once again, came to the rescue…
Guitarist Derek Smith and drummer Rex Jones came to Germany from England in the early 70s and, over the years, toured with a variety of big bands, jazz groups, and soul groups across the country. No strangers to country music, they often sat in with Chrissy’s and Keith’s “Pickup” band and were well-versed in the classics. But Brian’s band, “Bakersfield,” offered them a unique opportunity to work on something original, and they immediately jumped at the chance to join. Brian was grateful to have such experienced musicians on the team, as they brought a whole new level of professionalism to the band and promised to take the group to new heights. It was a marriage made in heaven…