The Lovesick Drifters

Garrett Newton

Vocals/Acoustic

At the age of 14 Garrett talked himself onto the Carolina Road tour bus headed to Florida. He worked concessions and ran errands for the band just to play two songs per show on his banjo. At the age of 17 had his own band and record deal with Pinecastle Records. His CD entitled Young Heart, Old Soul was aptly titled, because now at the age of 24, Garrett is keeping the music of Hank Williams Sr. alive as front man and rhythm guitar player for The Lovesick Drifters.

Alan Hicks

Bass

In middle school Alan’s dad would take him to the local TV station to play on a morning music show. Then at the age of 15 he began playing bass in a high school rock band that went on to tour the East Coast for the next seven years. In the late 70’s, he landed a job playing with The David Allan Coe band. He recorded three albums with DAC on Columbia Records. In the 80’s he was drafted by Clyde Mattocks as the bass player for Super Grit for next ten years. He has also worked as a session musician for numerous artists as well as a songwriter for several country artists.

Clyde Mattocks

Steel

Clyde has done it all. From producer, session musician to mentor of young aspiring musicians like Lizzy. Clyde has ditched his pedal steel and his Telecaster for a 1949 Gibson that was once owned by Don Helms, Hank's longtime steel player. In 1974 Clyde founded the Super Grit Cowboy Band. With four albums on their own Hood Swamp Records label, they had five singles chart on the Billboard Top 100 country charts. Clyde has also released albums with his bluegrass band, Highway 58 as well as solo projects. Ask any musician from Nashville to the east coast and they will tell you Clyde Mattocks is a world class musician.

Steve Shannon

Guitar

Steve is a graduate of the Musician Institute in Hollywood, CA. and hails from the state of Wisconsin. There he toured the mid-west as a guitar player with several regional bands. Several years ago, he moved to North Carolina and retired from the music industry. At a chance meeting with our bass player, Steve was asked to jam with some other local musicians. After a three-hour jam session, it was imperative that he come out of retirement and join this new project.

Lizzy Tobell

Drums

At the ripe old age of 2, Lizzy started playing drums with the help of her dad Donavon, who spent several years in Nashville as a touring drummer. Lizzy has made guest appearances with bands from all different genres including, The Malpass Brothers, The Super Grit Cowboy Band, Lorraine Jordan and Country Grass, Highway 58 and scores of others. At 13 years old Lizzy is now holding down the beat in her first band.

Keith Thomas

Fiddle

Keith is a thirty year + member of The Bluegrass Experience where he has played guitar, mandolin, and fiddle. He has also sat in with NC regional bands such as: Grass Cats, Al Batten, Glen Dyer and also with James King and Lorraine Jordan. Though he has played bluegrass most of his life he was raised on classic country such as: Lefty, Marty Robbins, Johnny Horton but most immersed in the music of Hank Williams.