The Shires

Formed in 2013 around Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, who hail from Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, The Shires developed a British country-pop that borrows Nashville’s narrative and melodic codes without erasing their English roots. The duo came together after connecting on Facebook and soon found support from BBC Radio 2 and a platform at the C2C: Country to Country festival, where The Shires became a regular name on the UK country scene. Initially signed to Decca and later becoming the first English country act to join a major Nashville label, The Shires released Brave (2015), My Universe (2016), Accidentally on Purpose (2018), Good Years (2020) and 10 Year Plan (2022). Their repertoire rests on the interplay between Crissie Rhodes’ lead voice and Ben Earle’s harmonies, with songwriting focused on relationships, everyday life and contemporary pop-country song formats. Over the years The Shires have also toured with Little Big Town, The Corrs, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, Tom Jones and Tears for Fears, while maintaining a constant link to the British country scene and its connections with the United States.