In the proud tradition of Jake Owen, Mel Tillis, and Bobby Braddock, the Hoyt Hughes Band is blasting Florida’s country music scene to the next level. Forget the hustle and bustle of sandy beaches, central Florida is all about rural honky-tonks, rambunctious barbecues, and quality time in the swamp. Those beloved themes are highlighted in the Hoyt Hughes Band’s new single, “Stomp On,” which calls for revelers to “stomp on down to my stomping grounds.”
Hughes hails from central Florida’s Polk County, home to country music icons Bobby Braddock (who penned George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today”), Jim Stafford (“I Don’t Like Spiders and Snakes”), and Gram Parsons, who is one of the founding fathers of country rock. As a young boy, Hughes was exposed to music by his country singer father and played the spoons himself while family members jammed on the front porch.
Encouraged by his loving wife, Hoyt Hughes eventually tapped back into his musical heritage and entered the regional singing contest circuit. His success gave him the confidence to record in Nashville and assemble his very own Florida-based band. Hoyt’s fellow band members—guitar playing brothers Darrell and Dennis Hoag, drummer Todd Schultz, and bassist Donald Farr— all came from different parts of the United States but all have been in central Florida long enough to fully embrace the unique mixture of country and rock that thrives in the region.
“I grew up listening to all types of music,” Hoyt explains. “Country was always part of the mix, but I was also exposed to lot of other genres, especially southern rock.” Given their roots, it’s no shock that the Hoyt Hughes Band’s set list contains a few classics from the renowned Florida band Lynyrd Skynyrd.