When Ray Stevens released “Mississippi Squirrel Revival” in 1984, from his He Thnks He’s Ray Stevens album, he likely never imagined the song being covered almost 40 years later by an all-vocal group like Home Free, but that’s exactly what happened.
Home Free not only put their own spin on the vocals, but on the animated video as well, which tells the story of a mischievous boy, a wayward squirrel, and a congregation forever impacted by the two.
Home Free has amassed millions of views on their videos over the years, as well as sold out venues all over the globe, including Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. Their success, all done without a major record label, they attribute to their own hard work and determination, along with the unwavering support of their loyal fans.
“It’s something special,” Austin Brown tells Everything Nash. “I think it’s a major, if not the most important factor, to what we do. It allows us to do this for a living, and to feel like we can keep moving forward, because we know that as long as we keep making music that we enjoy, that they will enjoy it too. And that’s a luxury these days. We’re not always afraid that we have to constantly reinvent ourselves to keep our fans around, because they’re so ADD.
“It’s actually quite the opposite,” he continues. “We could never do anything new again, and if we just kept singing the songs we’ve done, they’d be happy. So it really is a joy having that kind of a support structure, in a day and age when that’s harder and harder to find for a lot of artists.”
Home Free was already having some success when the group appeared on The Sing-Off, which they won in 2013. It was that national, televised platform that set in motion Home Free’s successful career, which keeps getting bigger and bigger, with no signs of slowing down.
“Even two or three years before that, we were gigging full-time,” Rob Lundquist says. “We were supporting families, so we kind of felt like, ‘Hey, we’re doing it. This is the dream.’ And then, the very first episode, we performed for way more people than we ever had in the 13 years prior. So that was really kind of the launching point for us, and that got us to a new level.
“And then after The Sing-Off, it was like people were coming to see us, where usually, we had to try and win over a crowd at a festival or a corporate gig or whatever.,” he continues. “But people were coming to see us, and at that point I was just like, ‘Everything else is just icing on the cake. I’m so excited to be here and just living the dream.’”
Home Free is currently on their Road Sweet Road Tour. Find music and tour dates at HomeFreeMusic.com.
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