Jeff Stevens & the Bullets were a family vocal trio formed in Alum Creek, West Virginia in 1975 consisting of brothers Jeff and Warren Stevens and cousin Terry Dotson. Jeff was born in Alum Creek and was influenced as a child by the music of Johnny Cash. He and Warren entered their first talent contest when Jeff was nine; he sang lead and his brother played bass. They won first prize, and Jeff knew he wanted to be a country performer. Early in their career, the band opened for such big-name acts as George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash, and Conway Twitty. In the early '80s, Jeff and Dotson became a songwriting team and provided Atlanta with two major hits, "Atlanta Burned Again Last Night" and "Sweet Country Music." In 1986, Stevens & the Bullets released a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Darlington County" as their debut single. It made the Top 70, and their debut album followed. They released their second album in 1987 and had their biggest hit with a cover of Michael Martin Murphey's "Geronimo's Cadillac." The trio disbanded in 1990, and Jeff tried to forge a solo career. In 1991 he made an album for Atlantic, but it was never released. With producer Keith Stegall's help, he began working with such established writers as Roger Murrah and Jim McBride. In 1993, Stevens co-authored "I Fell in the Water" with Jerry Salley and provided John Anderson with a Top Ten hit; working with Michael Clark, he later wrote Alabama's number one hit "Reckless." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Music Guide
