The Sky Kings
| Company type | Supergroup |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Predecessor | Four Wheel Drive |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | John Cowan, Bill Lloyd, Patrick Simmons, Rusty Young |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | John Cowan, Bill Lloyd, Patrick Simmons, Rusty Young |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
| Parent | Warner Bros. Records, RCA Nashville, Rhino Handmade |
The Sky Kings was a prominent American country music supergroup initially established in 1991 under the name Four Wheel Drive. The original lineup featured John Cowan, Bill Lloyd, Patrick Simmons, and Rusty Young. Simmons exited the group in 1993.
History
The ensemble consisted of seasoned musicians from notable bands such as New Grass Revival, Foster & Lloyd, The Doobie Brothers, and Poco. They secured a deal with RCA Nashville and recorded an album that ultimately remained unreleased. In 1993, they signed with Warner Bros. Records; however, due to trademark complications involving the name Four Wheel Drive, they rebranded themselves as The Sky Kings. Following their role as the opening act for The Doobie Brothers during the 1993 tour, Simmons departed to return to his previous band.
Continuing as a trio, The Sky Kings released three singles through Warner Bros.: "Picture Perfect," a cover of Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," and "That Just About Says It All." Of these, only "Picture Perfect" achieved chart success, reaching number 52 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Although a self-titled album was planned for release in 1997, it was ultimately shelved.
In 2000, Rhino Handmade compiled and released From Out of the Blue, which included the unreleased Warner Bros. album from 1997 alongside additional singles and demo tracks from a second unreleased project.
Albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| From Out of the Blue |
|
| 1992 |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1992 | "I Could Get Used to This" | 1992 | ||
| 1996 | "Picture Perfect" | 52 | 84 | From Out of the Blue |
| "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" | — | — | ||
| "That Just About Says It All" | — | — | ||
| "—" indicates singles that did not enter the charts | ||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Picture Perfect" | Jon Small |