Nestled in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains, 
The Madisons left behind gritty city life to find something greener. Along the way, they brought a career filled with Texas roots music experiences.
Their newest project, Greener, the band’s fourth collection of songs, blends American music forms (Country, Blues, Traditional, and Jazz) with varied instrumentation (Dobro, Theremin).
Recorded old-school style, rehearsed and played together live, the Madisons maintain a spontaneity and spark lacking in much modern music. Studio veteran Lizzie Harrah’s production experience with acts such as ZZ Top and Timbuk3 help define Greener’s sound which ranges from sparse arrangements to electronic or full orchestral feels.
The Madisons began in Texas seventeen years ago with original members Teri Greene, Lizzie Harrah, “Little” Stevie Wilson, and Denny “Cletus” Blakely, together on the live recording DRIVE. Ruel Russell, Lee Hamilton, and Rusty Stone later joined Teri and Lizzie, and the five-piece recorded Goodtime and Money and Do You Love Me. They performed at weekly appearances and headlined at major venues in Texas such as Balinese Room, Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar, Cosmos and Helios. The song “Sleepin’” was featured in an independent film and video.
Current members include:
- Lizzie Harrah – keys and vocal – Lizzie comes from Houston, Texas where she started out as a studio musician/engineer with Digital Services and ZZ Top. Lizzie worked on recording projects with Miles Copeland, ZZ, Timbuk 3, Little Joe y la Familia, La Mafia, The Geto Boyz, Clint Black, Van Wilks, Rocky Hill, Placido Domingo, Andy Johns, and worked backstage on the tours of Michael Jackson & ZZ Top. Also, she recorded and performed live with Timbuk 3 before starting The Madisons in 1995 with original members Teri Greene, Denny “Cletus” Blakely, and “Little” Stevie Wilson.
- Ruel Russell – bass and vocal – Alabama native Ruel Russell rocked the bass guitar with notable Texas acts St. Vitus Dance, Slow Children, and Bone Simple. Since 2002, Ruel has been bassist and vocalist with The Madisons. The new album GREENER also features him playing banjo and harmonica.
- Lee Hamilton – drums and vocal – Lee hails from East Texas and has been playing drums with Ruel in St. Vitus Dance, Slow Children and Bone Simple since 1992. Lee joined the Madisons in 2002 on drums, vocal, and songwriting.
- Wayne Bean - guitar – from a small town in Maine, Wayne Bean has played electric guitar with The Madisons since 2008. He brings a deep knowledge of traditional Celtic and Appalachian instruments, as well as American vintage acoustic and electric guitars.
Greener, a collection of mostly originals, also includes cover versions of songs by John Prine, Billie Holiday, and Tanita Tikaram. On February 14, Greener arrives on CD/digitally at CD Baby and digital online music providers Amazon and ITunes.