This rock trio is a family affair - singer-songwriter Barbara Keith, husband Doug Tibbles, and son John Tibbles - but don't expect The Partridge Family. Critics have described them as "AC/DC meets Patsy Cline", their music as "Anthems, ballads and battlecries. Guitar, bass and drums.. It's as simple as that." They were the model for Elmore Leonard's novel, "Be Cool" with five of their songs included in the text. Word-of-mouth has brought a cult following to this band another critic called "a rare wild beast in a domesticated music industry".
BIO
“The Stone Coyotes are a family trio. But don’t expect lace curtains, casseroles or Partridge Family kitsch. With songwriter Barbara Keith on electric guitar and vocals, husband Doug Tibbles on drums, and stepson John Tibbles on bass, this band rocks – and they mean it.”
- ELLA MAGAZINE
“You can’t enter lightly into an association with The Stone Coyotes. Casual music fans need not apply. If rock and roll is important to you, this music will move your soul… The most honest rock band in the business. Anthems, ballads, and battle cries. Bass, guitar, and drums. It’s as simple as that.”
- THE UNION NEWS
Barbara Keith began her career at the Café Wha? in Greenwich Village, following in the footsteps of Jimi Hendrix, Bill Cosby and many others who got their start in that hallowed dive. She was soon recording for MGM/Verve, A&M, and Warner Brothers. Her songs have been covered by such diverse artists as Tanya Tucker, Barbra Streisand, The Dillards, Melanie, Hank Snow, Lowell George and others. “The Bramble and the Rose” has become a folk standard – often receiving the ultimate compliment of being mistaken for a traditional song.
Her husband Doug Tibbles had a whole other life before drumming – A native of Los Angeles, he was a TV writer for such shows as “The Munsters”, “Bewitched”, “Andy Griffith”, “My Three Sons”, “Family Affair”, and many more.
Unhappy with show business in general, Barbara gave back her major label advance, Doug quit his one-day-old job as story editor for “Happy Days”, and they went underground. Doug took up drums and son John took up bass at age eleven. Reclusive by choice, the band moved from L.A. to Western Massachusetts to write and woodshed. They began playing the occasional show while recording in their cellar.
When best selling author Elmore Leonard (“Get Shorty”, “Jackie Brown”, “Out of Sight”) walked in the Troubadour in L.A. one night looking for inspiration for his sequel to “Get Shorty”, he discovered The Stone Coyotes.
They became the model for Chili Palmer’s next adventure, “Be Cool”. Leonard said, “ It was music I could understand…straight ahead rock and roll with a twang. And there are good stories going on in the songs.” He included their lyrics in the book and dedicated it to them. He and the band made a string of appearances together around the country with a Words and Music Tour – from New York’s Mercury Lounge to L.A.’s Viper Room.
With support from XM Satellite Radio’s XCountry, along with loyal AAA and college stations, the band has built a strong following from New England to Texas, from coast to coast. On their own label, self-produced, no hype, no roadies, they have ridden hard on the Road Not Taken - playing, writing and recording six albums. By Internet and word-of-mouth, theirs has become music of the people, by the people, and for the people. Rock on.