Red Clay Strays Own the ACM Awards with Gospel-Fueled Breakthrough

When a band from Mobile, Alabama takes the stage at one of country music’s biggest nights and brings a full gospel choir with them, you know something transcendent is about to happen. That’s exactly what Red Clay Strays delivered at the 2026 ACM Awards, where they performed Demons in Your Choir—a track that perfectly captures why this Southern rock outfit has become impossible to ignore in the American music landscape.

The performance wasn’t just a moment; it was a statement. Frontman Brandon Coleman’s booming voice, seasoned with exactly the right amount of twang, anchored the band while the gospel choir lifted the song into something ethereal. It’s the kind of performance that reminds you why this group just swept major awards at the ACMs—they took home Group of the Year earlier in the evening, building on their 2025 win for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year.

But here’s what’s really interesting about Red Clay Strays: they’ve never fit neatly into one box, and they’re not apologizing for it. These guys opened for the Rolling Stones in 2024, which tells you everything you need to know about their crossover appeal. Yet they belong just as naturally on the ACM stage, straddling Southern rock and country with the kind of authenticity that can’t be manufactured. The band even previewed another track from their upcoming album, Grateful, called People Hatin’, which proved their range by charting on rock, country, and adult alternative airplay charts simultaneously.

Coleman himself has been clear about their identity.“I don’t think we’re country,”he said back in 2024.“I love country music. That’s what I was raised on. If anything, we’re Americana.”It’s a distinction that matters—they’re part of a movement that includes actual country artists like Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers who get lumped into Americana because they refuse to play it safe or stick to formula.

The ACM Awards took place at Las Vegas’MGM Grand Garden Arena with Shania Twain hosting, and the lineup was stacked with performances from Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Riley Green, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, and Miranda Lambert. But it was Red Clay Strays who proved that the most exciting music right now isn’t coming from Nashville’s establishment—it’s coming from artists willing to blend traditions and make something entirely their own.

When Coleman accepted the Group of the Year award, he seemed genuinely stunned.“Just at a loss…it doesn’t feel real, truly,”he said.“We’re just some rednecks from Mobile, Alabama, and when we started playing in bars, we never thought we’d go this far.”That kind of humility paired with undeniable talent? That’s why audiences keep showing up.