There have been several supergroups in the history of music that encompass the best of the best; Traveling Wilburys and The Highwaymen are two iconic examples that quickly come to mind. More recently female supergroups are starting to make their mark such as Folk trio I’m With Her (Sarah Jarosz, Sara Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan) and Sister Sadie, a Bluegrass quintet consisting of Dale Ann Bradley, Tina Adair, Gena Britt, Deanie Richardson, and Beth Lawrence, all who have had incredible success on their own paths but have joined powers so exquisityly that they are up for Emerging Artist of the Year at this year’s upcoming IBMA Awards. Their sophomore album, Sister Sadie II, was released on August 24 and took the #2 spot on Billboards Bluegrass Albums Chart for the week of September 15.
We caught up with Gena to talk a bit about her own musical journey, the creation of Sister Sadie and what’s to come.
CN: When were you introduced to bluegrass?
GB: I was introduced at a very early age, probably around 5 years old, when I used to go to the dance halls with my grandfather where he used to be a square dance caller.
CN: An in-high demand guru on the banjo, how did you discover your instrument of choice?
GB: I fell in love with the sounds of the banjo in the dance hall. When I was 7 years old I was asked what I wanted for Christmas and I said a banjo. I got one for my 8th birthday.
CN: Who have been some of your biggest influences in music? In what ways have they influenced you, both personally and as an artist?
GB: The first influences that really stand out were The Original Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver band. The band in itself was what did it for me. The selection of material, and the tight harmony vocals were unparalleled. Terry Baucom was a huge influence on my early banjo playing. My dad loved how Terry played because his playing was always heavily based on the melody of the song. He said he could always tell which song he was playing, so I always remembered that. Several other players eventually became huge influences for different reasons. Scott Vestal – His tone and separation of notes are incredible and something every banjo player strives for I think. And Lynn Morris was an influence on me, professionally and personally. She was the first woman in bluegrass that I could relate to and looked up to & wanted to be like. Her playing was straight up amazing. She could sing and play banjo at the same time effortlessly. Not to mention, the way she carried herself professionally in this business was something to behold. I looked up to her then, and still do to this day.
Vocally, I have several influences, including Emmylou Harris, The Whites, and Lynn Morris.
CN: You have performed with several bands throughout your career including Alan Bibey & Grasstowne and Lou Reid and Carolina. Can you talk about your past experiences and how they molded you into the musician you are today?
GB: Sure. Getting to be able to perform with both of these bands have definitely molded me into the musician I am today. Lou Reid’s vocal abilities are way under-rated. He helped me in a lot of ways when I was in his band. I was there for about six years. I learned a lot about matching someone’s vocal phrasing, how to end a line in a song, and when I was taking solo’s to not overplay, and I learned how to play behind a singer and compliment, not overpower the vocals. That was a great learning experience for me and I consider myself a “band member” and not a soloist. That’s a huge realization that I think has helped me throughout my career. Also, performing with Alan Bibey & Grasstowne, you just have certain chemistry musically with certain people. That’s how it is with Alan. It’s easy. That’s hard to find.
CN: Let’s talk about the all-female power-group that is Sister Sadie. When did Dale Ann, Tina, Deanie, Beth and yourself come together and decide to put this quintet forward? Was it the idea of an individual or a mutual proposal?
GB: Our first opportunity to come together as a unit was in December 2012. We actually thought it would be a neat idea to do a special show at the Station Inn in Nashville, TN just for fun around Christmas time. I’ll never forget when we sat down about 5pm that afternoon. We hit the first note together and just kinda looked around at each other like “Wow, this is really good,.” It was just natural and we all knew it was something special. We had no intentions of ever doing that again but we sure had fun. Then, after some videos from that night started circulating, we started to get some phone calls asking if we’d like to do any more shows together. So, we said, why not. Then, one thing turned into another and we decided we didn’t need to ignore it. We came up with the name of the band. It took us a while, but we all truly felt like sisters (thus SISTER), and we all collectively loved Tony Rice’s music and in particular a song he did called Little Sadie. After researching, there was already a band out there called Little Sadie, so we went with Sister Sadie.
CN: How do the five of you arrange songs regarding your instrumental strengths and vocal talents – oh those harmonies! – to have everything blend so perfectly?
GB: It is truly a band effort when we are arranging songs. We try to look for the best way we will touch an audience as well as ourselves. If we feel it, the audience will too.
CN: The band’s sophomore album Sister Sadie II was just released on August 24th and it features 12 original tracks. Can you take us through the process of how this album was put together? From songwriting to selecting the songs to the finish product?
GB: Our process is very natural. As we’re touring through the year, if any of us has written something that we think would fit the band, we bring it to everyone. Or if someone hears something that they think would fit another member vocally, we’ll carry it to each other and say “Hey, I think this would fit you better or I can hear you doing this”. Then, we usually have one weekend before we start recording that we call our “woodshed” weekend, usually in a place where we have very little cell phone service and away from distractions so we can focus on the songs. This is where it actually all comes together and we make a final selection of the songs for the album. We have a process that if everyone doesn’t like the song, it will get shelved. The next step is recording and we try to be ready to go when we book the studio time. Recording this latest album was a blast and we were so fortunate to work with one of my heroes, Scott Vestal in his studio. We usually cut rhythm tracks and then build around that. That works well for us.
CN: The lead single “Losing You Blues” was released earlier this summer – and is still climbing the Bluegrass charts – and you recently released the music video. It’s a cute porch-pickin’ performance video showing you ladies doing what you do best – singing and playing the music out of those instruments! Was that the main idea behind the video – nothing distracting, just the purity of the music?
GB: Yes, Tina Adair did an amazing job writing this song and her delivery is just in your face, solid bluegrass. I love it & I think this band excels at being very versatile in our selection of music. This shows off the gritty straight up bluegrass side that we all embrace. And yes, you’re right about the video. Just us, our instruments, our vocals and our friendship.
CN: Chemistry on stage is very important, and you five appear to be as comfortable as a band playing together for many years. Can you talk about how close the five of you are? Does anyone hold the role of band leader?
GB: I’m VERY glad that it comes across. We have a great musical chemistry, but we truly are all best friends and bandmates. Off the road, we are just like sisters. We love each other, we fight at times (lol), and we encourage and support one another. We’re very close. And no, there isn’t a band leader. We are partners. We all have separate roles in the band. That’s how it should be in a true band situation.
CN: I’ve read that Beth offers a bit of the comic relief on stage…
GB: Not only Beth, but every single one of these girls are funny!! I can’t even explain the amount of laughter that happens on our road trips. From the time we leave, til the time we get home. And then the group texts that happen after a road trip. LOL
CN: IBMAs. Congratulations as you ladies are up for “Emerging Artist of the Year”! There are a few IBMA awards and nominations among the five of you individually, but how important is that nomination to you all as a unit?
GB: There is no other way to explain it other than we are extremely honored to be recognized by our peers.
CN: What is next on the agenda for Sister Sadie?
GB: We just plan to keep on doing what we’ve been doing. We’re enjoying performing and recording this music that we all love and we hope it continues for a long, long time.
For more information on Sister Sadie, visit their website: www.sistersadieband.com