October 27, 2023 — Bluegrass powerhouse quintet Sister Sadie has had a banner week, with a performance at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 Medallion Ceremony, a chart-topping song and more.
“This has been a dream week for Sister Sadie,” says fiddler Deanie Richardson. “The honor of a lifetime came on Sunday, October 22, 2023 when we performed Patty Loveless’s ‘Sounds of Loneliness’ for her Country Music Hall Of Fameinduction ceremony. Working with Patty for almost 30 years has been the most rewarding experience of my life.”
“To add to that,” she continues, “we learned that ‘Willow,’ our current single, went to #1 on the Bluegrass Today chart. So excited to see a song that we love so much and that was written by our dear friend Ashley McBryde have the success it’s having. AND to top all of that off, our music video for ‘Willow’ is featured on CMT.com today.”
“The energy and excitement Jaelee, Dani, Maddie, Gena and I are feeling right now is nothing I’ve ever experienced,” she concludes. “I’m ready to ride to the top of the world with these ladies. Saddle up, girls…we’re doing this!”
This path for Sister Sadie began last year when the band answered fans’ call for new music with the release of “Diane,” their first new recording in four years. Since then, they’ve continued to garner attention with additional singles (“Well” and “Willow”) and several nominations for this year’s International Bluegrass Music Association awards.
With “Willow,” the band dug in with a driving performance that weaves old-time and modern strands into a mysterious yet muscular plea.
Says McBryde, “Sister Sadie is the best thing that ever happened to this song. I wrote it on an afternoon where damn near everything was going wrong. Deanie and the girls tore it UP and gave it the best life a song can have! Jaelee Roberts’ voice could sing somebody back to life, I swear.”
“Willow” is available in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, TIDAL and Amazon Music.
Listen to it HERE.
About Sister Sadie
Sister Sadie, which launched in the wake of an ostensibly one-off show at Nashville’s World Famous Station Inn in 2012, has both embraced and transcended its all-female identity, earning acclaim that includes being named as the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year in 2020, as well as Vocal Group of the Year in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Members range from acclaimed veterans to rising newcomers, who have won individual recognition, too, with founding member and fiddle player Deanie Richardson named as Fiddle Player of the Year in 2020 and banjo player/vocalist Gena Britt — SPBGMA’s reigning Banjo Player of the Year — having participated in three award-winning collaborative projects.The lineup is rounded out by 2021 IBMA Momentum Vocalist of the Year and Mountain Home recording artist Jaelee Roberts (guitar), Dani Flowers (vocals and guitar) and bassist Maddie Dalton. The band’s previous release, Sister Sadie II, earned them a GRAMMY nomination for Best Bluegrass Album in 2019.