This country roots band was formed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. Leader Steve Ripley (b. 1 January 1950) started playing in Oklahoma honky tonks while still in his teens. Building up a reputation as a leading session musician, his credits include appearances with Leon Russell and J.J. Cale, and he was Bob Dylan's lead guitarist on 1981's Shot Of Love. He also invented a guitar that can be recorded in stereo and which has been used by Cale, Eddie Van Halen and Ry Cooder. All the original band members could boast strong musical backgrounds. Walt Richmond (b. 18 April 1947; keyboards/co-producer) toured with Bonnie Raitt, Ron Getman (b. 13 December 1948, Bristow, Oklahoma, USA; electric and steel guitar) played with Janis Ian and Leonard Cohen, Casey Van Beek (b. 1 December 1942, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA; bass) toured with the Righteous Brothers and Linda Ronstadt, and Jamie Oldaker (b. 5 September 1951, Centerville, Utah, USA; drums) played with Eric Clapton. The Tractors, which was recorded (as was their second album) at Leon Russell's Church Studios in Tulsa, featured Ry Cooder and James Burton, and sold two million copies in the USA. They reworked the single "Baby Likes To Rock It" as "Santa Claus Is Comin' (In A Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train)" for their Christmas album. Steve Ripley has said of their approach to music: "We're doing music the way people did it before it was so specifically categorized - rock 'n' roll, rockabilly, country, country-rock. Back then no-one knew what it was - they just did what they felt.' They belatedly followed-up their debut set with 1998"s Farmers In A Changing World, which wisely did not tamper with a winning formula. They moved to the smaller label Audium in 2000 and released Fast Girl the following year. Ripley was joined on the album by several guest musicians, including regular collaborators Burton and Russell, and commented about the flexible line-up: "the Tractors are a state of mind, a place I enter to make the records".

Listen to The Tractors at Finetune.

• (2007)  Have Yourself A Tractors Christmas
• (1998)  Farmers In A Changing World
• (1994)  The Tractors

• Baby Likes To Rock It
• Santa Claus Is Comin' (In A Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train)
• The Tulsa Shuffle
• The Santa Claus Boogie
• The Blue Collar Rock

• Alan Jackson
• Toby Keith
• Garth Brooks
• Brooks & Dunn
• Kenny Chesney
• George Strait
• Tim McGraw
• Martina McBride
• Trace Adkins
• Tracy Byrd
• Vince Gill
• Reba McEntire
• Clint Black
• Shania Twain
• Alabama
• Travis Tritt
• Randy Travis
• Faith Hill
• Trisha Yearwood
• Dolly Parton

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