Red Dirt Skinners

The Red Dirt Skinners are a British husband-and-wife duo whose eclectic mixture of prog rock, blues, folk, country, and pop has won them numerous awards and a devoted international fan base. Multi-instrumentalists Rob and Sarah Skinner spent the 2010s releasing a succession of genre-spanning independent albums, including 2016's acclaimed Behind the Wheel, before relocating to Canada and settling in Belleville, Ontario. In late 2021, the duo returned with their dramatic sixth studio album, Bear with Us. Taking inspiration from adventurous rock icons like Pink Floyd, Supertramp, and Queen, the Skinners have worked their way through a number of styles over the years. Their genesis as more of a blues group can be heard on 2011's Grass Roots, though they pivoted to a country flavor on 2012's Home Sweet Home. With Rob covering lead vocals, guitar, bass, keys, and drums, and Sarah on harmonies, saxophone, and keyboards, the two have been able to cover a wide array of sounds, and they began to expand more texturally on their third album, 2013's Sinking the Mary Rose. The following year, Live in Aberdeen showcased the Skinners' stripped-down live show with a focus on harmonies, dynamic interplay, and Sarah's saxophone prowess. By this point, they had racked up nominations and a handful of wins at the British Blues Awards and the British Country Music Awards. Subsequent releases like 2016's Behind the Wheel and 2018's Under Utopian Skies became increasingly eclectic with the latter favoring the duo's lusher rock and pop influences. After a successful tour of Canada, the Skinners accepted an invitation from Canadian Immigration to relocate to the county as "Performers of a World Class Level." Basing themselves in the city of Belleville, Ontario, they recorded their sixth studio album, Bear with Us, which was released in October 2021.
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