Representative John Mark Windle, Speaker Beth Harwell, Sierra Hull,
Senator Ken Yager, and Representative Kelly Keisling
Bluegrass mandolin prodigy Sierra Hull was honored by her home state of Tennessee this week, when their House of Representatives issued a proclamation extolling her musical achievements, dated February 28.
Initiated by her hometown Representative, Kelly Keisling, Sierra travelled to the Generel Assembly for the presentation on Wednesday. After receiving the framed proclamation, she entertained the assemblage with a rendition of Tennessee Waltz combined with After You’ve Gone, a medley she has included in her stage show for some time.
Hull says that as a native of the Volunteer State, she accepts the award with pride.
“I feel very proud to be from Tennessee. In this part of the world, music is a way of life for so many people and I’m so blessed to have roots in a place with such a rich musical heritage. It’s truly an honor to be recognized by the state and I owe a lot of gratitude to all the wonderful folks who have encouraged me for years in Byrdstown and Jamestown!”
The Proclamation reads…
Whereas the members of this legislative body take great pleasure in recognizing those individuals who devote themselves to creative pursuits, thereby perfecting their craft and producing art that enriches the lives of their fellow citizens, and
Whereas Sierra Hull is one such individual, a prodigy on the mandolin who has established herself as one of the premier vocalists, songwriters, and instrumentalists in bluegrass and folk music, and
Whereas Ms Hull began playing the mandolin at the age of eight and released Angel Mountain, her self-released instrumental album, two years later, and
Whereas when Sierra Hull was eleven years old, she was invited onto the Grand Ole Opry stage by the legendary Alison Krauss two years later, Ms Hull signed with Rounder Records, and she released her debut vocal album, Secrets, in 2008 at the age of sixteen, and
Whereas her second release on Rounder Records came in 2011 with Daybreak, she composed seven of the twelve songs on the album, which reached No 1 on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Album chart, and
Whereas in 2016, Ms Hull released her third album, Weighted Mind, which was produced by renowned banjo player Béla Fleck and reached No 1on the Billboard bluegrass chart, the album also received a Grammy nomination for best folk album of 2017, and
Whereas she penned eleven of the twelve songs on Weighted Mind, a coming-of-age album that eschews the boundaries of genre and speaks a truth that only Ms Hull herself can tell, and
Whereas Sierra Hull is a native of Byrdstown and attended Pickett County High School before accepting a Presidential Scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music, the first bluegrass musician to receive a scholarship, and
Whereas it is fitting that we recognize Ms Hull, a highly acclaimed vocalist and songwriter, a virtuoso on the mandolin, and a true Tennessee treasure, now, therefore,
I, Beth Harwell, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the One Hundred Tenth General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, at the request of and in conjunction with Representative Kelly Keisling, do hereby proclaim that we recognize and commend Sierra Hull for her many contributions to the American music landscape and extend our best wishes for much continued success in the future.
Proclaimed in Nashville, Tennessee on this, the 28th day of February, 2018.
Congratulations, Sierra!
