One of the latest chapters of the legendary musical history of the Tennessee River Valley is the band, Wheelers.  Wheelers were founded in 2009 on the banks of the Wheeler Reservoir in Decatur, Alabama.  Wheelers is a musical family that embodies a “do-it-yourself” attitude and the free spirit of grassroots music.  Writing, recording, and producing all of their own music in a basement (endearingly referred to as “The Boss Mont”) near the Tennessee River in Decatur, AL, they have come to represent a truly homegrown sound that is greater than the sum of its individual parts.  Indispensable and peerless in each his own way, the individual parts in question are Tyler Smith, John Warren, Tyler Jones, Jordan Landers, and Andrew Bonds.

Wheelers are dedicated volunteers and have performed three fundraisers for Tennessee Riverkeeper, raising over $3,000 for the non-profit organization.  Tyler Smith, founder of Wheelers and one of Riverkeeper’s most active volunteers, also designs fundraiser concert posters featuring native wildlife commonly seen on our River.

Recently, Wheelers performed their first ever acoustic set at a Riverkeeper fundraiser by the Tennessee River.  A silent auction with items from: Train, Drive-By Truckers, Wheelers, comedian Robert Klein, Zildjian Drumsticks, Alabama Farmer’s Cooperative, Sugar Magnolia’s, Excalibur Vinyl and Vintage, Carolyn Bild photography, Black Warrior Riverkeeper, and more.

Both Band Of Horses and The Black Keys recorded recent albums on the Tennessee River in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.  From Lynryd Skynryd and their “Muscle Shoals Swampers” to Drive-By Truckersto Alabama Shakes and Wheelers, the Tennessee River Valley continues to create and inspire artists.

Tyler Smith’s three most recent fundraiser posters are shown below. In chronological order by event date, the artwork depicts a bald cypress tree (Taxodium distichum) a blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) and a great blue heron (Ardea herodias).  A 111 pound catfish (50.35 kg) was caught in the Wheeler Reservoir of the Tennessee River on July 5, 1996, it remains the Alabama state record for largest catfish.