The Shadow
Keith Bryant’s recording of “Ridin’ with the Legend” vaulted him into national prominence as a Nashville recording artist.
Bryant, a 1980 graduate of Lexington High School, credits Bruce Allen, the country music recording artist from Lexington who married Dreama Bryant, his sister; for helping him get his break in Nashville.
“Bruce Allen was very instrumental in helping me get recognized in Nashville,” Keith recalled.
“Ridin’ with the Legend” charted on Billboard Top 100 and peaked at No. 31.
Keith remembered, “The song opened a lot of doors, and I performed infield shows at many NASCAR events at the major racetracks across the country.”
The breakthrough song about the late Dale Earnhardt picking up a hitchhiker led Keith to share the stage with Alan Jackson, Hank Williams, Jr., Neil McCoy, Ricky Van Shelton, Le Ann Rimes, Montgomery Gentry, Tanya Tucker, Sammy Kershaw, Lorrie Morgan, Tracy Lawrence and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Others he has shared the stage with are Phil Vassar, Darrell Singletary, Ty Herndon, Craig Morgan, Gene Watson and Andy Griggs.
Keith grew up in Rockbridge County, and he and his sister along with all of their children were born in the Stonewall Jackson Hospital in Lexington.
Keith, the son of Earl Bryant, a construction worker from Lexington who married Dorthy Johnson of Iron Gate, is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter.
Having played music during his high school years, he got his first break in the field of country music when he won the East Coast Country Music Championship’s “Best Male Vocalist Award” in 1981.
Keith married Sue Vest of Lexington in 1984, and the couple has three grown daughters, Chelsea, Leslie and Kayla who were born in the Stonewall Jackson Hospital in 1988, 1991 and 1999 respectively.
In 1986, Keith founded Ironhorse, a band that featured Steve Hoke as a multi-instrumentalist, Michael Stephenson, bass and vocals; and Scott Rae, drummer.
Ironhorse recorded an album, “Dixie Thunder,” in 1990 and another one, “Strait from the Horse’s Mouth,” in 1993.
Keith said, “Our second album was all original songs, and it was a hit for us regionally.”
“Is There a Honky Tonk Here?,” the No. 1 song on the album, charted in other countries and gave Ironhorse much positive exposure in Texas.
Keith landed a record deal in Nashville in 1998 thanks to Allen’s help, and Tandem Records, the recording company, was based in San Diego with ties in Nashville.
“Country Nights, a company based in San Diego, sponsored me, and I was provided with a tour bus and two tractor trailers,” Keith noted.
For four years on the West Coast, Keith performed in Calif., Oregon and Washington State. His touring for Country Nights led him to perform in Arizona and other Calif. border states as well.
Having become a member of The Virginia Opry, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official Opry, Keith became the first member of The Virginia Opry to have a showcase show at The Historic Masonic Theatre in Clifton Forge.
His most recent performance with The Virginia Opry was on April 30, at Lime Kiln Theatre where Nashville recording artists Chris Lane, Ashley Cooke and Lily Rose also performed on The Virginia Opry’s show held to honor VMI’s 2022 graduating class of cadets.
Following the COVID-19 shutdown of theatres across the nation in 2020, Keith has continued his career in country music by performing several nights per week in the Shenandoah Valley region.
He is a frequent performer at Brew Ridge Taps in Lexington, Harrisonburg’s Golden Crown Billiards, an outside venue that features indoor dining; and at Lil’ Guss’ in Grottoes.
Keith often teams up with James Tamalcroff, a guitarist and vocalist from Charlottesville who is also a member of The Virginia Opry. The duo performed at Lime Kiln Theatre on April 30.
Keith concluded, “Most people think that I was thinking about a locomotive when I named the band Ironhorse, but I was thinking about a horse that cannot be broken.”
Keith and his wife continue to raise horses on their farm near the outskirts of Lexington where he writes songs in his studio and sets them to music. He taught himself to play the piano and the guitar when he was a teenager, and both musical instruments continue to serve him well during his performances.
