Featured songs: Age of Ben; The Extra Mile is a Gravel Road Randy Steele is an award winning banjo pickin' singer/songwriter from Chattanooga, TN. His first solo album ‘Songs from the Suck’ was released in early 2017 followed by ‘Moccasin Bender’ released in the summer of 2018 and ‘High Cold Wind’ in 2023. All of these releases were met with critical acclaim and spotlights from dozens of music critics, including Relix Magazine, No Depression, Americana Highways, and The Bluegrass Situation. Steele won an Independent Music Award for Bluegrass 'Song of the Year' for "Mobile Soon" and was a semifinalist in the esteemed ‘American Songwriter’ song of the year for ‘Age of Ben’. Steele has also been a finalist in the New Song LEAF Songwriting Competition in North Carolina and the Kerrville Folk Festival ‘New Folk’ competition in Texas.Steele continues to play out and tour both solo shows and as the front man with Randy Steele and High Cold Wind. After a few shows, they found themselves invited to multiple festivals throughout the Southeast US with acts like Greensky Bluegrass, Yonder Mountain String Band, Town Mountain, Larry Keel, Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, The Kody Norris Show, Nick Lutsko, and the Lonesome River Band. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx