Is there anything the Red Clay Strays can’t sing?
At this point, it’s starting to feel like the answer is a hard no.
With “Wondering Why” climbing its way into the Top 10 of the Apple Country charts, their fanbase exploding, and a new album on the horizon, 2024 already feels like the year the Strays go from rising stars to household names. Their original music is already a force, but this Christmas performance shows a whole different shade of what makes them magic.
A few weeks back, the band stopped by Camp ASCCA in Alabama — a nationally recognized special-needs camp that serves both children and adults, and a place the Strays say is one of their favorite gigs every year. And for the lucky folks in that audience, the band offered an early Christmas gift.
“Probably the only crowd we’ve performed a Christmas song for this year, so we figured we’d share it!”
Decked out in festive sport coats, the guys launched into a soulful cover of Charles Brown’s 1960 classic “Please Come Home for Christmas.”
And wow… talk about a perfect fit.
Brown’s original leans heavy into blues and early-Motown warmth — a sound that lines up beautifully with the Strays’ timeless, retro-leaning style. Coleman steps into the first line with a smoky growl that would make Charles Brown grin, and the band eases in behind him with slow, aching, blues-rich melodies that feel straight out of another era.
This is exactly why their covers hit so hard: when you listen to the Red Clay Strays, you’re not just hearing a modern country band. You’re stepping back in time — to juke joints, vinyl crackle, and the golden age of Southern soul. Their sound is classic without being copycat, vintage without feeling dusty.
And if they ever decide to cut this track in the studio?
Yeah, go ahead and pencil it in for the Whiskey Riff “Country Christmas Songs That Don’t Suck” playlist. It’s a guaranteed fit.