"IT'S A MASSIVE HONOR":
Growing up in rural South-Central Kentucky, John Fred Young and his friends — Chris Robertson and Ben Wells — didn’t have many venues to showcase their band.
“When you are not in a major city, you have to improvise. We had to cut our own path,” Young said. “We did everything just to be able to play. We would play anywhere,” Young said.
Black Stone Cherry’s first-ever gig was at Mexican restaurant.
The teenagers played at biker rallies, golf courses and Catholic churches. They even convinced the owner of a country line-dancing bar in Cave City, Kentucky, to start hosting rock shows.
“The first night, a lot of the regulars showed up — they heard us and they were out of there in two minutes,” Young said with a laugh.
In the more than two decades since, Black Stone Cherry has performed all across the world, stepping into the spotlight at some most of the most iconic locations in music history — including The Royal Albert Hall, Rupp Arena and the Download Festival.
On Saturday, the band will take the stage at Renfro Valley Entertainment Center as part of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony.
Black Stone Cherry is one of the 12 honorees in the Class of 2024.
The group also features singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson, gospel performer Rodney Griffin, fiddle player Jimmy Mattingly (who was a member of Garth Brooks’ band), country performer Gary Stewart, noted Bluegrass musicians the McLain Family Band, Bluegrass singer-songwriter Charlie Sizemore, along with bass guitarist, producer and singer-songwriter Paul Martin.
The class also includes honkey tonk legend Bobby Mackey, sound engineer Billy Moore, club owner Rubie Sandersan and radio personality Karl Shannon.
“It’s an honor. It’s a massive honor for us,” Young said. “(Recently), I went to the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame website and was checking out the list of the all the great artists who have been inducted — and it is mind-blowing.”
The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame was established in 2002 and already has more than 60 members.
The list of honorees is highlighted by legendary performers like Keith Whitley, The Judds, Dwight Yoakam, Ricky Skaggs, Loretta Lynn and the Everly Brothers.
Black Stone Cherry, however, is set to be the first hard-rock band to ever be honored by the organization.
“It kind of feels like a dream,” Young said. “It’s beyond words.”
That dream began in a middle school gym in Edmonton, Kentucky.
“John Fred played in a talent show at the end of the year and I can say that had he not brought his drums that day, that Black Stone Cherry would not (have happened),” Robertson said. “Because, that same day, I looked at John Fred and I said, ‘Let’s start a band.’”
Black Stone Cherry was officially formed on June 4, 2001 — the day of Robertson’s 16th birthday.
Ben Wells (guitar) and Jon Lawhon (bass) joined Young (drums) and Robertson (vocals and guitar) in the line-up.
“We had such a great support staff,” Young said of the early days of the band. “My family, obviously, helped guide us. Chris’ dad was a marvelous guitar player and helped us get PAs and drive us to shows. Ben’s dad would get a 15-passenger vans and we would just go play.”
Young’s father — Richard Young (guitar) — and uncle — Fred Young (drums) — have been long-time members of The Kentucky Headhunters.
They not only provided some much-needed guidance for the ambitious teenagers, they also gave them access to a special place.
Black Stone Cherry set up camp at the Headhunter’s “Practice House,” a hideaway off the back roads in Metcalfe County.
“It was just our haven,” Young said of the building. “We could stay down there as late as we wanted and be as loud as we wanted.”
Young’s father, admittedly, wasn’t sure if he had made a wise decision.
“I thought they would burn it down,” Richard Young said. “I figured they would be smoking cigars and have a bunch of girls up there.”
The house survived.
And the band released an independent EP, “Rock N’ Roll Tape,” in 2003 and then signed with Roadrunner Records three years later.
In the past 21 years, the band has released eight full-length albums — including “Kentucky” in 2016 and “Screamin’ at the Sky” in 2023.
“Everywhere we go, we bring that Kentucky spirit with us,” Young said. “We are very proud to be from Kentucky. I can’t imagine ever wanting to live anywhere else.”
Black Stone Cherry has toured relentless for more than two decades, developing a devoted following all around the world.
And they’ve won over fans without much help from traditional outlets.
The band has received almost no airplay on corporate-run FM stations (or satellite radio) in the United States.
“When we get played — it’s great. It’s wonderful,” Young said. “But at the core, we are a see it and believe band. When you come and see you live, you will understand.”
Ironically, the biggest commercial “hit” of the band’s career was a cover of their song “Stay,” which was released by Florida Georgia Line in 2013. The single reached No. 1 on both the Billboard’s Canadian and U.S. Country charts.
“They did a great version of it. We were very honored that someone else liked our song enough to cover it,” Young said of “Stay.”
And for more than 20 years, Young, Robertson and Wells have stayed together.
The band has made just one line-up change.
After Lawhon left in 2020, Black Stone Cherry added Steve Jewell, Jr. The Horse Cave native was a guitarist in the Kentucky-based band Otis and had never played bass.
“He makes our sound a little grittier,” Wells said of Jewell. “He plays with a different attack. It’s really great.”
“He is 8 or 9 years younger than us,” Young said of Jewell. “We couldn’t ask for a better guy. He is a monster.”
The Kentucky Headhunters were inducted in the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
This weekend, Young will join his father and uncle in the prestigious institution.
The band was officially notified of their HOF selection during a show last December in Glasgow, Kentucky.
“We had an inkling, but having Jessica (Blankenship, the director of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame) come out on stage and tell us was really cool,” Young said.
Young, Wells, Robertson and Jewell Jr., are set to perform one song, acoustically, at the ceremony.
“We’ve got one in mind, but I’m sure — in typical Black Stone Cherry fashion — it will change last minute and we will do a different one,” Young said.
Only the current members of the band will take part in the ceremony.
The band, however, won’t have too much time to celebrate their induction. They are set to begin a tour through Europe on Oct. 29 in Germany.
“We can’t party too hard. We’ve got to fly out the next morning,” Young said.
Tickets to the 2024 Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are still available. More details are available at www.renfrovalley.com.
In addition, Black Stone Cherry will be signing bottles of the band’s signature Three Chords Bourbon on Saturday at Great Spirits in Berea. The price is $69.99 and all proceeds are set to benefit the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame’s music education program.