Ruen Brothers Reimagine 'Mama Don't'

04-14-2025

(YRR) British-born, Louisville-based duo Ruen Brothers - siblings Henry and Rupert Stansall - return with new music to share their reimagined version of the tried-and-true "Mama Don't" out today via Yep Roc Records.

A traditional song dating back over a century to the campfires of Cow Cow Davenport and later popularized by J.J. Cale, Henry's warm vocals and lyrical changes make their rendition feel like a Ruen Brothers original. The production and instrumentation from Rupert allow the tune to shimmer and fully display the English brothers' affinity for Western music.

Of the new single, the brothers offer: "We've been playing our version of J.J. Cale's "Mama Don't" for years in our live sets - from pubs back home in Scunthorpe to festival stages around the world. After many requests from fans, we decided to record the song.

The recording is built mostly by acoustic instrumentation paired with an understated, conversational vocal, which felt kinda evocative of jamming in a basement late at night, and that's exactly where we recorded it, in our basement control room. Dynamically, the instruments are played softly but uptempo, with a cassette machine recording the electric guitar; the same type of cassette machine that introduced us to recording at a young age."

Throughout May and June, the Ruen Brothers will hit the road opening dates for The Bones of J.R. Jones and Will Wood.

Ruen Brothers Tour Dates
May 8 - Pearl Street Warehouse - Washington, DC*
May 9 - Le Poisson Rouge - New York, NY*
May 13 - The Grey Eagle - Asheville, NC*
May 14 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC*
May 15 - Neighborhood Theatre - Charlotte, NC*
May 16 - Aisle 5 - Atlanta, GA*
May 17 - Row One Stage - Nashville, TN*
June 13 - Anthology - Rochester, NY^
June 14 - The Roxy - Lakewood, OH^
June 16 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN^
June 17 - Concord Music Hall - Chicago, IL^
June 18 - Grewal Hall - Lansing, MI^
June 20 - Mr. Smalls Theatre - Millvale, PA^
June 21 - Archer Music Hall - Allentown, PA^
June 22 - Royale - Boston, MA^

*w/ The Bones of J.R. Jones
^w/ Will Wood