Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers were an American rock band formed in Western Massachusetts in 2003.[1][2] The band features lead singer and founding member Stephen Kellogg (born November 28, 1976) piano and bass player Kit Karlson (born September 22, 1976), drummer Brian "Boots" Factor (born August 14, 1979), and electric guitar/pedal steel player Sam Getz (born October 17, 1983). Chip Johnson (born February 10, 1983) joined Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers on bass in 2011.
Their release The Bear, Vanguard Records, was voted "Best of 2009" by No Depression and JamBase. Their single "Shady Esperanto & The Young Hearts" cracked the Billboard Top 20 for AAA. They were named 2009 Entertainers of the year by Armed Forces Entertainment.
Their song "Maria" was covered by Canadian country band Doc Walker and was a top 10 hit.
Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers' on stage credits include tours with George Thorogood, Needtobreathe, Sugarland, Hanson, O.A.R., Josh Ritter, Dar Williams, David Crosby, Martin Sexton as well as an appearance with James Brown shortly before Brown's death. Noteworthy festival plays include 2006 Telluride BlueGrass Festival, 2008 Lyons Folk Festival, 2008 Mile High Festival, The 2007 All Good Festival and Multiple appearances on NPR's Mountain Stage featuring Larry Groce.
The band's touring history also includes several trips overseas to play for the United States Armed Forces. They spent one month in the spring of 2009 playing on bases in nine different countries such as Kuwait and Bahrain as well as a trip to Israel to play for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
After over twelve-hundred shows and nine years of playing together as a band 'Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers' went on hiatus at the end of November 2012.
The band did a send off called "The Hi-Ate-US Tour" which consisted of a national tour of the country between October 17 and November 24. Their final show of that tour was at Webster HallinNew York City. They have no current plans for future tours.
As of December 2012 Stephen Kellogg has been touring extensively, having released his first solo album, Blunderstone Rookery in 2013. His second album, South, West, North, East was released in February 2016 and a greatest hits album, Tour De Forty: Greatest Hits so Far (Live), followed in 2017. His most recent work, Objects in the Mirror, was released in 2018.
