Southern rock history will get a new chapter in Nashville this December when Toy Factory Project makes its debut at the legendary Ryman Auditorium. The all-star group, created to honor the music and legacy of Marshall Tucker Band co-founder Toy Caldwell, will take the Ryman stage on Monday, December 28, bringing together an impressive lineup of musicians with deep roots in Southern rock, blues, bluegrass and the jam-band world.
Led by Paul T. Riddle, Grammy-winning drummer and co-founder of the original Marshall Tucker Band, Toy Factory Project features Marcus King on guitar, steel guitar and vocals, Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke on guitar and vocals, Oteil Burbridge of Dead & Company, The Allman Brothers Band and Oteil & the PeaceMakers on bass and vocals, and Josh Shilling, known for his work with Mountain Heart and Wynonna Judd, on piano, organ and vocals.
Toy Factory Project live at Maymont (Richmond, VA) / Photo by Dylan Akers (@dylan.akers924)
For its live performances, that already formidable lineup expands with Sam Bush, the acclaimed fiddler and mandolinist whose career includes New Grass Revival and work with Emmylou Harris and Lyle Lovett, along with percussionist Jimmy Rector, known for Oteil & Friends and Anthill Cinema.
The Nashville appearance is especially fitting for a band built around preserving and reinterpreting an important piece of Southern music history. For Starr, playing the Ryman adds another layer to the occasion.
“There is no other experience quite like playing the Ryman Auditorium,” Starr said. “As soon as the first note rings out, you understand why it’s so legendary.”
Tickets for the December 28 show go on sale Friday, September 18 at 10 a.m. CT through Toy Factory Project’s tour page. Fans can get an earlier shot at tickets through an exclusive Toy Factory Project presale beginning September 16, followed by a Ryman presale on September 17. Presale access information is available by signing up through the band’s newsletter.
A Tribute That Has Taken on a Life of Its Own
Riddle assembled Toy Factory Project as a tribute to his late Marshall Tucker Band bandmate and co-founder Toy Caldwell, whose songwriting, guitar work and musical identity helped shape the sound of the group.
Rather than simply reproducing the Marshall Tucker Band catalog, the musicians have approached Caldwell’s songs through their own musical backgrounds and styles. The result brings together players from Southern rock, blues, bluegrass and improvisational music while keeping Caldwell’s songbook at the center.
Despite having played only a relatively small number of shows, Toy Factory Project has already attracted considerable attention on the live music circuit.
The band made its live debut at the 2025 Telluride Bluegrass Festival, where the combination of musicianship and chemistry quickly established that the project was more than an occasional tribute performance. Rolling Stone called the showcase “one of the most memorable sets in the 52-year history” of the Telluride festival.
That debut was followed by two February 2026 performances at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. The group returned to the road for a limited run in May, including two sold-out nights at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater in Wilmington, North Carolina, a performance at Music at Maymont in Richmond, Virginia, and an appearance at Delfest.
Fans can also watch Toy Factory Project performing “Blue Ridge Mountain Sky” live at Maymont.
From the Ryman to New Year’s Eve in Atlanta
The Nashville debut comes just days before another major date on the band’s calendar. Toy Factory Project will close out 2026 with a special New Year’s Eve performance on December 31 at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre.
Demand for the Atlanta show was strong before tickets even reached the general on-sale stage, with more than 75 percent already sold. A limited number of tickets remain available through the Fox Theatre ticket page.
The two December performances put Toy Factory Project on stages closely associated with American music history while giving the musicians room to carry Caldwell’s work into a new era.
That combination is at the heart of the project. Riddle is not simply revisiting music from his past. He has assembled musicians capable of bringing their own identities to songs that have already survived generations.
Marcus King brings his blues-driven guitar playing and vocals. Starr carries the modern Southern rock lineage of Blackberry Smoke. Burbridge brings decades of improvisational experience from The Allman Brothers Band, Dead & Company and his own projects. Shilling adds a background that moves comfortably between country, rock and progressive acoustic music. Bush expands the palette even further with the progressive bluegrass sensibility that has defined much of his career.
Together, they give Caldwell’s music a chance to live beyond nostalgia.
About Toy Factory Project
Toy Factory Project is an all-star Southern rock ensemble created by original Marshall Tucker Band drummer Paul T. Riddle to celebrate the musical legacy of Toy Caldwell. The core lineup includes Marcus King, Oteil Burbridge, Charlie Starr and Josh Shilling, with Sam Bush and Jimmy Rector joining the group for live performances.
The project draws from Caldwell’s influential songbook while allowing its musicians to bring their individual backgrounds and musical instincts to the material. What began as a tribute has quickly developed into a formidable live collaboration of its own.
More information, tour dates and updates are available at the official Toy Factory Project website. Fans can also follow Toy Factory Project on Instagram, as well as the band’s Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and X channels.
Featured image: Toy Factory Project live at Delfest / Photo by Gary Jared Photo
