Currently, the lineup has consisted of the core trio of the Armstrong brothers and Barnes, along with drummer Brian Medeiros.

Red was formed by identical twin brothers,[1] guitarist Anthony and bassist Randy Armstrong, and lead vocalist and pianist Michael Barnes.

[2] The three grew up in Linesville, Pennsylvania, where Barnes first met the Armstrongs at elementary school and remained friends.

[4][1] They became members of Ascension, their early gigs taking place in youth centres around Erie, Pennsylvania, playing covers of contemporary Christian music before they turned to hard rock.

[1][6] After the three finished their education, they relocated to Nashville, Tennessee in February 2002 after Audio Adrenaline guitarist Barry Blair had heard their music online and invited them to record.

[4] The first lineup of Red was completed in 2004 following the addition of drummer Andrew Hendrix and guitarist Jasen Rauch.

[7] With the lineup secured, Red entered a longtime association with producer, songwriter, and musician Rob Graves.

[10] After they had recorded four demos in a garage and a nursery[11][2] that displayed their style of alternative, hard and Christian rock music.

[10][14] Recorded in Nashville, the album features orchestral arrangements from Bernie Herms and David Davidson, reflecting on the group's interest in classical music.

[17] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2015 for selling over 500,000 physical copies in the US.

In November 2007, their transit van and trailer crashed into a guardrail on Interstate 24 and slid sideways across a highway, causing major damage to the vehicles and Lamb suffering injuries to his already injured shoulder that forced him to sit for some of the remaining dates.

In January 2008, they began a six-week period rehearsing and laying down drum tracks so they could continue recording while on tour.

[19] They halted its progress to headline a nationwide club tour in March 2008, their first without a restrictive time slot which allowed them to develop their stage performance.

They travelled with a portable case that unfolds into a mini recording studio, allowing them to put down ideas in the green room at venues.

[33] Barnes said the band wanted to direct the album towards the idea of someone finding their own identity,[34] and drew inspirations from various sources, including the novel Till We Have Faces by C.S.

[38] As part of the preliminary hype for the album, Red asked fans to send photos of their faces to the band.

[43] On June 5, 2011, they started their Kill Th3 Machin3 Tour with Oh No Fiasco, Taddy Porter, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Evans Blue.

[46] In September 2011 they went on the "Rock Allegiance Tour" with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Puddle of Mudd, P.O.D., Crossfade and Drive A.

[47] They hit the road immediately after this to start their second leg of the Kill Th3 Machin3 Tour, with Brian "Head" Welch, Echoes the Fall and Icon for Hire.

[48] In 2011, Red were made Grand Marshalls of a parade in Linesville, Pennsylvania, the town where the Armstrongs and Barnes grew up.

Rickard was replaced by Love and Death drummer Dan Johnson,[58][59][60] in time for an eight-city tour with Demon Hunter and Veridia.

They produced four demos as the result of what they thought Red fans wanted to hear, and aspects in life that passionately drives them.

[4] The group experienced "personal heartbreak and loss" while making it, and named the opening and closing instrumental tracks "Descent" and "Ascent" respectively, as they found studio time partnered with their faith uplifting.

[11] Red celebrated the release with an anniversary tour which marked the return to performing songs from the album after a long time, playing smaller venues, and using older instruments.

[64] Material for Red's sixth album, Gone, was already being worked on in November 2016, with the main rehearsal sessions taking place the month after.

[11] Anthony Armstrong expressed a shift in releasing albums in the traditional way due to the decline in physical sales and the popularity of digital music.

They also announced that touring drummer Dan Johnson joined the band full-time as their fourth member, thus making a four-piece lineup for the first time since 2014.

[76][non-primary source needed] Shortly after Johnson's departure, the band hired new drummer Brian Medeiros.

[82] Red collaborated with Canadian Christian rock band Thousand Foot Krutch to remake the latter's song "I Get Wicked".

[83] In June 2024, the band announced the "Emergency Tour", taking place during September, featuring guest appearances from Adelitas Way and Kingdom Collapse.