The Tractors

The Tractors, a country rock band from the United States of America, were formed in 1988 by Steve Ripley. The original lineup included Ron Getman on guitar and Dobro, Jamie Oldaker on drums, Walt Richmond on keyboards and accordion, Casey van Beek on bass guitar, and Steve Ripley himself on lead vocals and guitar. All members had extensive experience as backing musicians for notable artists such as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and Bonnie Raitt. The band signed to Arista Nashville in 1994 and released their self-titled debut album The Tractors that same year, which included the single "Baby Likes to Rock It" and became a platinum-selling success. Their Christmas album Have Yourself a Tractors Christmas followed in 1995. The band was nominated for two Grammy Awards and won the Country Weekly 1995 Golden Pick Award for Favorite New Group. In 1998, they released their second original studio album Farmers in a Changing World. Following this release, most of the original members pursued separate projects, although they occasionally collaborated with Ripley on subsequent Tractors recordings. The band's later albums include Fast Girl (2001), and Trade Union (2009). Steve Ripley died at age 69 after a lengthy battle with cancer on January 3, 2019; Jamie Oldaker died at age 68 on July 16, 2020.