{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox musical artist | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians --> | name = The Sky Kings | image = | caption = | image_size = | background = group_or_band | alias = Four Wheel Drive | origin = Nashville, Tennessee, United States | genre = Country | years_active = 1991–1997 | label = RCA Nashville<br />Warner Bros. | website = | current_members = | past_members = John Cowan<br />Bill Lloyd<br />Patrick Simmons<br />Rusty Young }}

'''The Sky Kings''' was an American country music supergroup<ref>[http://baltimoresongwriters.org/pages/interviews/bill_lloyd_interview.html Music Interview with Bill Lloyd]</ref> formed in 1991 as '''Four Wheel Drive'''.<ref name="lloyd">[http://www.billlloydmusic.com/skykings.html Bill Lloyd Music] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070812020821/http://www.billlloydmusic.com/skykings.html |date=2007-08-12 }}</ref> Originally consisting of John Cowan, Bill Lloyd, Patrick Simmons and Rusty Young, Simmons left the group in 1993.

==History== The supergroup, consisting of John Cowan (New Grass Revival), Bill Lloyd (Foster & Lloyd), Patrick Simmons (The Doobie Brothers), and Rusty Young (Poco), was formed in 1991 as Four Wheel Drive. They were signed to a recording deal with RCA Nashville and completed an album for the label which was never released.<ref name="lloyd" />

Warner Bros. Records signed the group in 1993.<ref name="lloyd" /> Threatened with lawsuits from bands who had copyrighted the name Four Wheel Drive, they secured the rights to the name The Sky Kings.<ref name="lloyd" /> After opening for The Doobie Brothers on their 1993 tour, Simmons left The Sky Kings to rejoin The Doobie Brothers.<ref name="lloyd" /> Now a trio, The Sky Kings released three singles on Warner Bros.: "Picture Perfect," "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" (a cover of the Elvin Bishop hit) and "That Just About Says It All."<ref name="amgbio">[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p424853/biography|pure_url=yes}} allmusic ((( The Sky Kings > Overview )))]</ref> "Picture Perfect" was the only single to chart, peaking at No.&nbsp;52 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p424853/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}} allmusic ((( The Sky Kings > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))]</ref> An eponymous album was scheduled to be released in 1997, but eventually shelved.<ref name="footb">[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r494033|pure_url=yes}} allmusic ((( From Out of the Blue > Overview )))]</ref>

In 2000, Rhino Handmade released ''From Out of the Blue'', an album which included the band's entire unreleased 1997 Warner Bros. album, non-album Warner Bros. singles, and recordings and demos made for a second unreleased Warner Bros. album.<ref name="footb" />

==Discography==

===Albums=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- ! style="width:14em;"| Title ! style="width:16em;"| Album details |- ! scope="row"| ''From Out of the Blue'' | * Released: July 26, 2000 * Label: Rhino Handmade |- ! scope="row"| ''1992'' | * Released: December 15, 2014 * Label: Sony Music Entertainment |}

===Singles=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Single ! colspan="2"| Peak chart<br />positions ! rowspan="2"| Album |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="45"| US Country ! width="45"| CAN Country |- | rowspan="1"| 1992 ! scope="row"| "I Could Get Used to This"<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=I Could Get Used To This|others=Sky Kings|year=1992|type=Canada 7-inch Promo Single liner notes|publisher=RCA|id=JB-62893}}</ref> | | | align="center" rowspan="1"| ''1992'' |- | rowspan="3"| 1996 ! scope="row"| "Picture Perfect" | 52 | 84 | align="left" rowspan="3"| ''From Out of the Blue'' |- ! scope="row"| "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" | — | — |- ! scope="row"| "That Just About Says It All" | — | — |- | colspan="5" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |- |}

===Music videos=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" ! Year ! style="width:10em;"| Video ! Director |- | 1996 ! scope="row"| "Picture Perfect" | Jon Small |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p424853|pure_url=yes}} allmusic ((( The Sky Kings > Overview )))]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sky Kings}} Category:American country music groups Category:Warner Records artists Category:American musical trios Category:Musical groups established in 1991 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1997 Category:Country music supergroups Category:1991 establishments in the United States Category:American supergroups