Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Neeley.
Hi Annie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I vividly remember when I was about five years old, watching my shoes peek out from my oversized church choir robe as I walked down the aisle to sing. I remember feeling excited and joyful, and I’ve been singing ever since. I joined a band in high school, picked up the guitar, started playing and writing when I was 19, and never looked back. My husband/bass player and I moved to Nashville specifically because we wanted to find people who were as crazy and nerdy about music as we were, and we surely did. We jumped right into the Working Stiffs Jamboree scene at Springwater. We played a bunch of bluegrass too. We shared a Saturday afternoon bluegrass shift with the Volunteer String Band at Layla’s on Lower Broadway. Our first record, “Cold Heart Blues,” was released in 2010. We recorded it at Tone Chaparral with our friend George Bradfute. We had some great players on that record (Fats Kaplan, Gene Bush, Markus Stadler, Matt Raum, Paul Griffith), and I still love it. It has a cool kind of 1970s bluegrass feel.
Harmony singing is crazy fun, and most people just let me loose to do my own thing, which was great. When our son was born in 2009, leading and booking a band became a little more challenging, so I switched gears and started singing backup with various bands in East Nashville, live and in sessions. I did a lot of work with a great songwriter named Matt Moody, who led a band called Hands Down Eugene, and I was in American Reality, a Grateful Dead tribute band, and Hooteroll, a JGB tribute band. The Hooteroll is still rolling! You can see them at Acme Feed & Seed and The Five Spot.
We moved back to West Virginia about 7 years ago to be closer to family, and I thought leaving Nashville would mean my musical life would slow down. That has not been the case at all. I play and sing all over the state. We released a new record, “Big Old Moon,” in September of 2021, and we’ve been loving playing those new tunes live with a full band. We go to Nashville to play and see friends as often as we can. It still feels like home there.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh, man. The road has not been smooth. Every artist has said to themselves at once or another (possibly daily): “Wait. Why do I do this again?” Keeping a band rolling is hard. When we played on Lower Broadway, I had to find subs regularly. I had a whole collection of mandolin players, banjo players, and fiddlers on my phone, and I’d have to run through the list and see what lineup I could put together from week to week. My current band is spread out all over the state, so even rehearsing requires some scheduling magic. Also, being a woman bandleader brings a whole other set of challenges. As with most industries, I think women have to work a little harder to be heard or seen.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m proud of our new record, “Big Old Moon.” It’s the closest we’ve gotten to that “Cosmic American Music” sound that Gram Parsons, The Byrds, and The Grateful Dead were tuned into that we are perpetually striving for. Dave (husband/bass player) and I write country songs, but we don’t necessarily hear them as the pure country in our heads. The band (Bud Carroll, Ammed Solomon, Randy Gilkey, and Travis Egnor) immediately caught on to that vibe, and we were able to record the whole thing live in one weekend, then went back and did just a few overdubs. I did my backing vocals, which was so fun. I live for harmony singing.
What characteristic of yours would you give the most credit if you had to?
I try always to find a way to tap into joy when I’m playing. Cowboy Jack Clement famously said: “We’re in the fun business. If we’re not having fun, then we’re not doing our job.” I love what I do and try to communicate that to my bandmates and the audience when I’m on stage.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.annieneeley.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annieneeleymusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annieneeleymusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/pokesalatannie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSGbQjMv3isgcAHir-wFkxw
- Other: annieneeley.bandcamp.com
Image Credits
Jodi Hollingshead Amos Perrine Christopher Morris David Kirkpatrick
