Cross Canadian Ragweed

Country music group

Cross Canadian Ragweed consists of Cody Canada, Randy Ragsdale, Grady Cross, and Jeremy Plato. They specialize in the Red Dirt sound, which draws heavily from such influences as Steve Earle, Bob Dylan, and fellow Oklahomans the Great Divide, while incorporating bits of Van Halen and 1970s Southern rock. More melodic and soulful than 1980s cowpunk, this particular sub-genre also incorporates influences of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, while embracing the edgier aspects of country. This hybrid sound, along with their non-stop gigging, has earned the band a loyal audience that has grown steadily from the beginning.

Struggled Early

Formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 1994, the band's name was drawn from their original members, Grady Cross, Cody Canada, Randy Ragsdale, and Matt Weedham. Canada, the band's true architect, had been into music since he took up the guitar at age ten. Of his influences, he recalled, "I heard Steve Earle's Guitar Town. To me, that was the beginning of the whole rebel thing in country music. I learned all the Steve Earle songs, Dwight Yokam, George Strait, and Merle Haggard's stuff. Then, when high school came along, I got real serious about it and decided to make it my life. I've always had a passion for it and I knew it was something that made me feel good." Ragsdale, too, had musical ambition; his father, Johnny Ragsdale, had played with Bob Wills and Reba McEntire, so he knew that a life as a musician was possible.

As a young adult, Canada worked in the oil fields. Although lucrative, the work was difficult and dirty. Living near Oklahoma State University, he would often pop into a local joint and play for burgers and beers. "No money," he recalled, "just come over, eat some burgers, play some music for two hours, and have a good time. It wasn't about money, it was about the songs." Canada nearly became a part of the Great Divide, best known for their 1998 video of "Pour Me a Vacation." "I got asked to be hired gun for the Great Divide and I thought I was actually going to be a member, but it just didn't actually work out." Fortunately, the brief collaboration ended well, and Great Divide's leader Mike McClure would eventually become Cross Canadian Ragweed's in-studio producer.

Sharing a bill at the Wormy Dog Saloon, McClure encouraged Cross Canadian Ragweed and taught them about the music business. Eventually the group began to catch a break. They opened for established stars Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson, and their first disc for their Underground Sounds label, Carney, began generating substantial regional college radio airplay.

Signed with Universal South

The band received some recognition outside the Southwest when the Great Divide included one of their tracks ("I Know a Man") on their 2001 album Dirt and Spirit. Two compilation albums on the respected Compadre label, Texas Road Trip and Brewed In Texas: The Original Texas Happy Hour, garnered attention as well. Yet it was their own uncompromising independently produced discs on Underground Sounds that caused the biggest stir. Ranging from the seeds and stems approach of Carney and brash bar-band tomfoolery of Live and Loud at the Wormy Dog to the spiritually fueled Highway 377, the band conjured a poetic, blue collar sound that resonated with young Southwesterners. More important, the group's constant touring ensured that their otherwise poorly distributed albums sold over 70,000 units, an impressive figure for a strictly regional act.

When the major labels came sniffing around, the group was cautious, suspicious that a big company would try to change them. Lost Highway, Dreamworks, and RCA made overtures, but in 2002 the band settled on Universal South, who has thus far left their music untouched. They have also managed to garner respectable amounts of country airplay for such fan favorites as "17," "Fightin' For," and "This Time Around." Discussing their label, Canada remarked, "You know, we told them, we're probably the luckiest thing that ever happened to them, and I don't mean that in a cocky way…. They're great people. They have the same goals that we have." In addition to their ability to get airplay and spread the word everywhere at once, Canada marveled at the prestige a major label signing brings with it. "You also get a lot more respect, too, when they see it's a major label, whether it be from bar owners or radio."

Their first two albums for Universal South, Cross Canadian Ragweed (2003) and Soul Gravy (2004), sold remarkably well for an emerging regional act. Canada believes their audience appeal is about connecting on a simple honest level. "That's what has really helped us and gotten fans for us is honesty…. I think if you sit down and really write about life, then people will connect with it."

For the Record …

Members include: Cody Canada (born May 25, 1976, in Pampa, TX), lead vocals, lead guitar; Grady Cross (born August 4, 1975, in St. Louis, MO), rhythm guitar; Jeremy Plato (born February 13, 1976, in Oklahoma City, OK), bass, vocals; Randy Ragsdale (born June 27, 1977, in Enid, OK).

Formed group in Stillwater, Oklahoma, 1994; recorded for their own independent Underground Sounds label, 1998–2001;contributed tracks to various artist compilations, Compadre Records, 2001–02; recorded album for Smith Music Group, 2002; signed with Universal South Records, 2002, produced and performed on Waylon Jennings's tribute album on their own label, 2004.

Addresses: Record company—Universal South Records, 40 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203, website: http://www.universal-south.com. Website—Cross Canadian Ragweed Official Website: http://www.crosscanadianragweed.com.

Cross Canadian Ragweed hit an early peak with their third major label disc, Garage, which pushed the alt. Country envelope more than on previous releases by amping up their fabled Red Dirt sound with overtones of raw garage rock. Behind the glass as always was producer Mike McClure. "He's helped out so much with my self confidence and the band's self confidence," Canada said. "I'd say, if he hadn't of been there to do all that, it would probably be a different band." That said, the group sounded like a hard charging bar band barely touched by the producer's artifice, on a set that evoked the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Bob Dylan. The album's most talked-about track was a defiant tribute to the late Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. The songwriting was timely yet poignant, and the result was their biggest selling pop and country album to date.

Successful yet still striving for bigger and better things, the band has toured constantly. True, they enjoy it, but they also know what the alternative to a life in music could have been. "Well, I'm not working in an oil field," remarked Canada. "Man, it is a life. I don't know if we actually found the music or it found us. I think we were all destined to do what we do, and to speak for everybody I'd say it changed our lives by making us happy every day of our lives, because we always know that there's music to turn to."

Selected discography

Singles

"17," Universal South, 2002.
"Constantly," Universal South, 2004.
"Sick and Tired," Universal South, 2004.
"Alabama," Universal South, 2005.
"Fightin' For," Universal South, 2005.
"This Time Around," Universal South, 2006.

Albums

(As The Great Divide & Friends) Dirt and Spirit, Broken, 2001.
(With various artists) Texas Road Trip, Compadre, 2001.
(With various artists) Brewed in Texas: the Original Texas Happy Hour, Compadre, 2002.
Highway 377, Underground Sounds, 2001.
Live and Loud at the Wormy Dog, Underground Sounds, 2001.
Carney, Underground Sounds, 2002.
Cross Canadian Ragweed, Universal, 2002.
Live and Loud at Billy Bob's, Texas, Smith Music Group, 2002.
Soul Gravy, Universal South, 2004.
(With various artists) Red River Tribute to Waylon Jennings, Underground Sounds, 2004.
Garage, Universal South, 2005.

Videos

Soul Gravy, Universal South, 2004.

Sources

Periodicals

Country Standard Time, May 2004, October 2005.

Online

"Cross Canadian Ragweed," All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (July 8, 2006).

Additional information for this profile was drawn from Universal South's presskit on the band and from an interview with Cody Canada on May 13, 2003.