This year ​the RFT recognizes ​St. Louis' ​stellar music scene by presenting the STL 77, ​our list of 77 acts who did big things in the last twelve months. From now through June 17, the date of our huge annual music festival ShowcaseSTL, we'll be announcing two ​honorees per weekday on our music blog. For more information on STL 77, as well as the complete lineup for ShowcaseSTL, go here.

As a college student, Jack Grelle began mixing his political beliefs with music, and the results were what you might expect from someone leaning toward anarchy: The young Grelle fairly destroyed his voice singing in hardcore bands. As he grew older he found his tastes running more toward country and folk, but his politics didn’t grow more conservative. As one of this city’s foremost purveyors of classic country and honky-tonk swing, Grelle and his band aren’t afraid to get topical. “Changes Never Made,” from last year’s Got Dressed Up to Be Let Down, addresses the roots of Michael Brown’s murder and the unrest that resulted in Ferguson and across the U.S. Elsewhere on the disc, Grelle handles more typical fare — heartbreak, nostalgia, whiskey — but he’s able to inform an old form with new ideas.

Recommended if you like: Doug Sahm, These United States, Waco Brothers, Lavender Country

Official Website: www.jackgrelle.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jackgrelle
Bandcamp: http://jackgrelle.bandcamp.com