Whiskey River

BIOGRAPHY
From the early 1970s to the mid ‘80s, Whiskey River became a crowd favorite – packing clubs, ballrooms, and concert venues with their foot-stompin’ faithful fans.

Along with regional bands like Daisy Dillman, Whiskey River helped forge and define a midwest brand of hard-driving country-rock that still echoes today.

From packed nights at the Cabooze in Minneapolis and Grandma’s in Duluth, Whiskey River also toured non-stop throughout 19 states and three Canadian provinces. Included were stops at the famed Palomino Club in Los Angeles and City Limits in New York City. Television, radio appearances, and airplay were part of their growing popularity.

Their mixture of well-crafted original songs and treatment of other artists’ material garnered them appearances with The Charlie Daniels Band, Elvin Bishop, Tanya Tucker, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Earl Scruggs Revue, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams Jr., and many more. 

Whiskey River released albums in 1978 and 1980, the latter being recorded in Nashville with renowned musician and producer Randy Scruggs. The band was inducted into the Mid-America Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and nominated for the Minesota Music Hall of Fame in 2024. 

The idea to re-form Whiskey River was sparked when the surviving members were asked to do a few reunion shows. Now, Whiskey River continues to write and develop new material while bringing their hits back to life for new and old fans alike. 

Today the band’s lineup consists of Whiskey River alumni Danny Naslund (vocals/acoustic guitar) and Norm Steffen (drums/percussion), and they are joined by Tony Don Tracy (vocals/bass guitar), Albert Svenddal (vocals/steel and acoustic guitar/dobro), and Curt Stone (vocals/acoustic and electric guitar).