Big Sandy (born Rusty Williams), inspired by the rockabilly revival of the early 1980’s, formed a three-piece band in southern California.  Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys soon expanded both their sound and their outfit, boosting the membership to six people, including Wally Hersom on bass, Lee Jeffriess on steel guitar, Ashley Kingman on guitar, and Bobby Trimble drums.  Their sound pulls primarily from western swing, country boogie and rockabilly, as well as hints of bluegrass, Cajun, and mariachi.  The band’s musical influences include musicians as diverse as Junior Parker, Chuck Berry, Etta James, and Johnny “Guitar” Watson.

Their debut album, 1994’s Jumping from 6 to 6, was produced by Dave Alvin and introduced the unique musical amalgamation to the masses.  The releases that followed proved that they were not simply rehashing a genre for nostalgia’s sake, but rather writing legitimately solid tunes, using the musical cornerstones as a launching pad for their creativity.  In 1998, Big Sandy released a solo album, Dedicated to You, consisting mainly of R&B and doo-wop oldies.  The band has since been inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.