By 1994, the band had broken up, although some members occasionally perform with guest musicians as the Red Devils or their earlier name, the Blue Shadows.

Early members included Smokey Hormel, Dave Alvin, and Gene Taylor, but by 1990–1991, the lineup had more or less stabilized with drummer Bill Bateman, bassist Jonny Ray Bartel, guitarist Dave Lee Bartel, singer/harmonica player Lester Butler, and guitarist Paul "The Kid" Size.

[2] Actor Bruce Willis and members of Motörhead, Dokken, and Red Hot Chili Peppers also joined in the jam sessions.

[2] According to bassist Jonny Ray Bartel, the songs were essentially unrehearsed and most were completed in three or fewer takes, with no overdubs – Jagger wanted to recreate the spontaneous, rough-and-tumble quality of his favorite early Chicago blues.

During a short tour of England in March and April 1993, Jagger joined the band for several performances and there was talk of releasing an album with the June 1992 recordings.

By then, the constant touring and singer/harmonica player Lester Butler's growing substance-abuse problems led to friction within the band and with Rubin.

In September 1993, Rick Rubin brought the Red Devils back to the studio to record with music legend Johnny Cash.

During their impromptu session, Cash showed the band some songs, including "T for Texas", "Bad News", "Devil's Right Hand", and "Thirteen".

Members of the Red Devils began other musical pursuits – Butler performed with various musicians before forming his final group, 13; he became popular in Europe, but died in 1998 at age 38.