Award-winning bluegrass bass player Missy Raines has a new single released today, the first for her upcoming Compass Records project, Royal Traveller.
Swept Away was written by Laurie Lewis, and recorded by Missy with the assistance of The First Ladies of Bluegrass, a quartet of Nashville gals who, like Raines, were the first female recipients of their respective Instrumentalist of the Year awards from the IBMA. Sierra Hull is on mandolin, Molly Tuttle on guitar, Becky Buller on fiddle, and Alison Brown on banjo.
In another first of sorts, this is a return to a bluegrass sound for Missy who has been focused on more experimental music of late.
She shared a few words about the single, the new album, and winning her first award for Bass Player of the Year in 1998.
“There’s that moment you think may never come. I remember mine. I had been nominated many times for IBMA’s Bass Player of the Year. I was good with that. But then, they called my name and everything changed. At the time I didn’t fully grasp that I was part of something bigger – the times they were a changing – and I was along for the ride.
Today, my companions on this fantastic journey are Alison Brown, Sierra Hull, Becky Buller, and Molly Tuttle. Each of them, like me, the first woman to receive an IBMA award on her instrument. The song I chose for us? Swept Away written by my hero and friend, Laurie Lewis, a grand pioneer who continues to lead the way for generations of women (and men) to follow.
One beautiful late summer day, we came together as friends to record this tune – jubilantly creating a bit of history, yet reluctant to call it so. After all, this is what we do, every day. So I couldn’t be more excited to share with you, Swept Away, from my upcoming record, Royal Traveller. The record is produced by Alison Brown and features a long list of celebrated guests including these 4 history-makers, Tim O’Brien, Amy Ray, Claire Lynch, Trent Wagler, and many more.”
Swept Away goes on sale tomorrow as a single download purchase, and will be available on Monday to radio programmers at AirPlay Direct.
Look for Royal Traveller in August.
