Pinecastle Records has announced the signing of singer, songwriter, and mandolinist Ashleigh Graham to the label. Concurrent with the announcement, they have released a first single with Ashleigh, a cute and clever song she wrote about one of southerners’ favorite sayings.
A North Carolina native now living in Knoxville, TN, Graham has been involved in bluegrass since she was a young teen. The EP she is finalizing for Pinecastle will be her third recording, but the first released on a national level.
Like many young women in music, Ashleigh stepped away from performing briefly to start a family, always intending to come back to it when her children were older.
And here she is, with a new single, Bless Your Little Heart, which takes off from the familiar southernism which can variably mean “good for you,” or “you pitiful thing.” Ashleigh combines a whole passel of these euphemisms to fill out the verses of the song.
She says that this idea had been stewing for a while before she finished and recorded it.
“Bless Your Little Heart was just an idea on a blank page in my song book. It had been there at least a couple of years without any lyrics. I had heard that saying so many times from people who loved to gossip.
In 2020, I wanted to write a fun song that would make me and my audience laugh, so I leafed through my book and found the empty page. In 2021, I finally finished it by developing the melody and adding the chorus. There are about five extra verses of fun that can be enjoyed during live performances.”
With Graham on mandolin and lead vocal, studio support came from John Meador on guitar, Eli Johnston on banjo, Stephen Burwell on fiddle -who also produced – and Kameron Keller on bass. Meador and Johnston contribute harmony vocals.
It’s a fun song, especially for folks who recognize these old saws. Have a listen…
Bless Your Little Heart is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
