Tracey and Alan

As I pulled up to the 19th Hole Restaurant at McClellan, I rolled down my window to ask if Tracey and Alan were playing that night. Two guys said, "Oh yeah, they're great!"

How right they were.

I walked into a dimly lit bar with people laughing and singing as two guys in the back with guitars played songs that everyone recognized. Their talent is undeniable, but there's much more to these guys than just being musicians.

Alan Renfroe and Tracey Tucker were both born in Atlanta, Ga. and grew up in Gaylesville, Ala.

It wasn't until they both attended Jacksonville State University, however, that they became best friends while working at 92J. Later, they became roommates, and the rest is history.

Dabbling in different bands while in college, Renfroe taught himself to play acoustic guitar. He teamed up with Tucker, who bought an acoustic bass guitar, and together they joined Brad Cotter and Justin Johnson to form the band N-Dangered. The band broke up after only two years, and Renfroe and Tucker became known as simply "Tracey and Alan."

Their accomplishments go beyond playing bars and campus gigs. They opened for country music star Taylor Swift earlier this year and played at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

They each write their own songs, but mostly play covers. Their list of artists they cover include John Mayer, Pink Floyd, James Taylor, The Doors, John Mellencamp and many more.

But don't count on them playing Lynyrd Skynrd songs anytime soon. It's just not their style.

"We have a no-Skynyrd policy," Renfroe said.

Renfroe produced a solo album entitled Home, and they're both currently working on their album Long Time Comin'. While these guys may just seem like rockers who travel from place to place connecting with fans over a few beers, they are family guys first and foremost. Each have a wife and children, and they graduated with degrees in communications from JSU.

Renfroe currently works at the university's Alumni House as the assistant director of Alumni Affairs. He is very passionate in all that he does and has had to learn to balance a professional day job with rockin' night gigs.

It's hard not to envy the double life they lead. It seems like they have it all.

You can them out at the Peerless Saloon in Anniston, Alabama, most Friday nights or at the 19th Hole Restaurant at Fort McClellan the last Friday of every month. While there, request your favorite song and kick back with a beer or two. Relax to the sounds of Tucker's deep and raspy voice and Renfroe's energetic guitar playing.
- The Chantacleer -Jacksonville, AL

It’s been a great year for acoustic guitar duo Tracey and Alan.
This past spring, they were the opening act for country star Taylor
Swift when the up-and-coming country singer played at Saks High
School. Members of Swift’s band were so impressed, they said they would like
Tracey Tucker and Alan Renfroe to perform as opener on the rest of her tour.
"To be able to open up for a nationally recognized artist
was huge for us," says Tucker.Unfortunately, the duo had to
decline the invitation due to prior commitments.
But that’s not the only thing going well for the duo. The pair is
working on a new album of original music called "Long Time Comin' ",
Scheduled for release later this year, the new record is a follow—up to
their debut, l999’s "These Are Not My Socks" (hence the "long time" in
the title). Both Tucker and Renfroe have been attending song writing
seminars in Nashville, hoping to improve their songwriting skills.
In addition, Renfroe has a solo album of original songs that he has
written and recorded at his home studio in Jacksonville. Titled "Home",
the CD can be purchased at their live shows.
In their shows, they include their own material, as well as of
alternative artists such as 3 Doors Down and Goo Goo Dolls and
classic rock songs by the Eagles and the Allman Brothers.
Of their original songs, the most-requested is "Time We Talk”
from "These Are Not My Socks", about speaking to someone about a
different perspective. "The song wrote itself," says
Renfroe. "I had an idea in my head and wrote it in just 15 minutes."
Some of the other original songs written by Tracey and Alan include
"Holiday For My Head" and "Jeanie Took Her Clothes Off". "These
songs have a Jimmy Buffet feel to them," says Renfroe.
Both Tucker and Renfroe grew up in Cherokee County and got
into music by performing in local bands during high school. They
first met during a battle of the bands competition but would not
become best friends and serious about putting together a band until
they attended Jacksonville State University. When the pair got
together, Renfroe, who already played keyboards, learned to play
acoustic guitar. He would convince Tucker, who played drums, to learn
bass guitar. "If we were going to be a duo, we
needed another instrument than my guitar," says Renfroe.
In recent years, Tracey and Alan have performed at countless bars,
clubs and private parties across the Southeast as well as maintaining a
busy life outside their gigs. Despite their jobs and raising
families, including two kids for Renfroe and four kids for Tucker,
their music provides a creative and fun outlet they get nowhere else.
"If we didn’t enjoy what we were doing, we would have stopped a
long time ago," says Tucker. To find out where else the duo
will be performing and to hear some of their music, go to their
MySpace page at www.myspace.com/traceyandalan.
- Slant / Anniston Star