Greenville-based Steel Toe Stiletto is taking their popular party sets to a wider audience
If you’ve been at an event and heard “Toxic” by Britney Spears smoothly morph into “Pony” By Ginuwine; if you’ve heard “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston slide seamlessly into “All Star” by Smash Mouth; or if you could have sworn Chris Stapleton was on stage when “Whiskey River” started to play, odds are, you were at a Steel Toe Stiletto show.
This well-known Upstate band, famous for bringing the house down at events like Artisphere, euphoria, and the BMW Charity Pro-Am, has turned playing cover songs into a science and an art, and band members say that has propelled them to unexpected heights in the music industry.
“With Steel Toe, I got everything I ever wanted,” says guitarist and singer Craig Sullivan. “It looks different than I thought it would, but I’m doing what I love for a living and still getting to be present at home. I’m so grateful I didn’t get the dream I thought I wanted, and I got this one instead.”
Opening Act
RoseAngela Merritt grew up loving music and singing in church. She met Joel Robeson, Austin Booth, and Sullivan at NewSpring, where they had great camaraderie as musicians and as people. “Eventually we were like, we just want another outlet, we want to play more music,” Merritt says. “It snowballed into what it is because Joel and Austin saw it as something more than just fun, but a business.”
In 2011, they played their first show at the Gathering Spot, a bar that was once at the center of downtown Greenville. “It was fun, but we realized very quickly that we didn’t want to be a bar band,” Merritt says.
The first two years built slowly, with party performances and bookings at places like Wild Wing. Then the band began to earn a following, traveling regionally for weddings, festivals, and events. The name came from another friend from NewSpring, Lee McDerment, who said the phrase sums up Merritt and her voice—power and elegance. The two words are guiding principles for the band to this day.
Robeson and Booth, founders and owners, took a step back from performing as the band grew. “It’s bittersweet, not playing as much,” says Booth. “But the first guitarist we got after us, he was so good. We were like, he is way better than me, there’s no reason for me to play ever again.”
Steel Toe Stiletto takes the Main Stage
Fast-forward to today, and Steel Toe Stiletto supports 100 musicians and singers. “It’s a big team,” Booth says. “It adds to the fun. The shows are different every time, but everyone is really good.”
Merritt says the key is only hiring people who have both the talent and the professionalism to mesh with the existing members. “Power and elegance have become the culture of everyone who comes in, and that’s rare,” she notes.
The band played 86 shows last year and has traveled north to Maine and south all the way down to Miami, though Charleston is a regular stop. Gigs are approximately two-thirds weddings and one-third business events, parties, fundraisers, and festivals.
The band travels so much that they purchased their own tour bus, dubbed Stella, and hired bus driver Mark Gresham, who has taken a fatherly role with the band. “I have a lot of fun with my kids, I consider them my kids, and what a great band,” he says. “But mostly I just keep it between the lines.”
The Show Goes On
Steel Toe Stiletto is lining up a busy summer and fall, and founders Booth and Robeson see more growth in their future. “We’re big for Greenville, but we are competing with national players,” Booth says. “We would love to be bigger.”
They created a company, Grooves that Move You, which includes Steel Toe Stiletto along with a handful of additional bands, including Greenville-based Fly Fidelity. The additional bands and musicians will help the group continue to expand geographically.
The team has heard from fans who want an original song, and they have considered it. “It would be fun, and we’re certainly capable of it,” Booth says. “But even for the best original song, if it’s performed at a show next to some of the best songs ever recorded, it might not be received as well.”
They are also looking into recording some of their most popular covers and creating more videos to use for marketing. “We perform other people’s songs, but we have shaped them over the years,” says Sullivan. “A lot of what we do feels original. We have our own sound and identity.”
The tight-knit team loves traveling together, but they also appreciate when they can keep the party here in Greenville. “This is our hometown,” Merritt says. “For me, at hometown shows, we can let loose and be free, and it’s so much fun.”
What started as five people who loved to play music together at church has already grown beyond what most band members expected, but at each step, they have realized that the possibilities are limitless. As Booth says, “We’re definitely not done dreaming.”
Steel Toe Stiletto Quick Hits
Steel Toe Stiletto booking manager Lauren Van De Water, a fan of the band from the early days, says people hosting weddings and parties fill out forms about the songs they love and loathe, and each event gets a curated set list to fit their tastes.
That being said, the group has seen general trends, and have their own opinions about the best songs to bring down the house.
Most requested song
Creed’s “Higher” is rising, often as an ironic choice; and ’80s pop.
Most divisive song:
Some people want to avoid “Shout” (Otis Day and the Knights), but it’s frequently requested by audiences. Bruno Mars was overplayed at weddings and is now requested less frequently.
Songs guaranteed to get the party started
Older songs like “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” by ABBA and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston; “Hot to Go!” by Chappell Roan.
Favorite songs to perform
Merritt likes to perform “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” by Celine Dion; Sullivan can sound just like Jimmy Buffett and Chris Stapleton, but he also likes adding big guitars to songs like “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan.
Popular new combination: “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield into “Lil Boo Thing” by Paul Russell (a 2024 song popular on social media).
Top restaurant stop while on the road: Waffle House
Up Next
In addition to their numerous private gigs, don’t miss the chance to see Steel Toe Stiletto at the VIP party to celebrate euphoria’s 20th year. The event, Thursday, September 18, at Judson Mill, will also include globally inspired bites from all-star chefs and cocktails from Suntory Global Spirits. Find information and buy tickets at euphoriagreenville.com.
