Cold Wind drops for Backline

When South Carolina’s Backline won the Rising Stars Challenge at the 2024 Blue Highway Fest, part of their prize was having Blue Highway’s Wayne Taylor produce them in the studio, and have Turnberry Records release a single.

We have that single, Cold Wind, a new song written by the band’s guitarist and lead vocalist, Katelyn Ingardia, and her father, David Mabry.

“Backline was so thrilled to win the Blue Highway Fest Rising Stars Challenge, and to get the opportunity to record a song produced by Blue Highway’s Wayne Taylor. We were looking high and low for a song that would really showcase the band and had one in the works, but weren’t completely sold on it. Then, about two weeks before we were supposed to go to the studio, my dad sent some new lyrics to me. I sat down in his kitchen and put a melody to it, and we finished writing Cold Wind. So, this new song we are releasing is legitimately ‘fresh off the press’!

Thank you so much to Jeff Partin for some arrangement ideas for Cold Wind, and to Wayne Taylor, Jim Price, and Bobby Starnes (Hat Creek Studios), along with the entire team at Turnberry Records!”

Taylor says that he thoroughly enjoyed working with Backline.

“It was great working with Backline in the studio. It just doesn’t get any better than Katelyn’s powerful vocals, superb musicians, and a great original song! Hearing them at the Rising Stars Challenge at Blue Highway Fest last year, and them winning the competition, was a testament to their talent and the legitimacy of the ‘Challenge.’

I hope everyone enjoys listening to the song as much as I enjoyed working on it!”

Like all of their material, Cold Wind, fits right in to the groove of contemporary mainstream bluegrass, and as Wayne said, Katelyn sells the song perfectly.

Support comes from regular band members David Heavner on mandolin, Alex Hampton on reso-guitar, Jacob Carroll on banjo, and Chris Williamson on bass.

It’s a strong track. Check it out.