Molly Tuttle transforms Golden Highway, forms new band to create fresh sound
Molly Tuttle has announced a significant change in her musical career, as she is disbanding her Grammy-winning bluegrass band Golden Highway and forming a new all-female band with a potentially louder sound. This revelation was shared by Tuttle on social media on Tuesday (5-13). Although she will still perform with the Golden Highway lineup at Rockygrass in Colorado in late July, all of Tuttle’s upcoming shows will feature the new band. Tuttle expressed her excitement for this new chapter and the opportunity to hit the road with her new incredible band. The new band lineup includes drummer Megan Jane, bassist Vanessa McGowan, guitarist/mandolin player Mary “Mair” Meyer, and multi-instrumentalist Ellen Angelico, all highly regarded and respected musicians in Nashville.
Molly Tuttle began her solo career in 2017 by signing with Compass Records and releasing folk-oriented albums. In 2021, she formed the Golden Highway bluegrass band, which she referred to as her dream band. The Golden Highway lineup consisted of notable musicians such as Shelby Means on bass, Kyle Tuttle on banjo, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on fiddle, and Dominick Leslie on mandolin. The collaboration released their debut album Crooked Tree in 2022, which won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. This success brought Tuttle a nomination for Best New Artist across all genres. The band’s subsequent album City of Gold in 2023 also won the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy, solidifying Tuttle’s position at the pinnacle of the genre alongside artists like Billy Strings.
Following the dissolution of Golden Highway, various members have been pursuing solo endeavors. Fiddle player Bronwyn Keith-Hynes has been active as a solo artist in bluegrass, receiving a Grammy Award nomination for her 2024 album I Built A World. Shelby Means recently announced the release of her self-titled debut album, while banjoist Kyle Tuttle released his latest album Labor of Lust in 2024. Tuttle shared her well wishes for her former bandmates in their new ventures. The significance of this musical shift in the bluegrass world has sparked curiosity about the direction the new band lineup will take Tuttle, who is recognized as one of the genre’s leading guitarists and has won multiple Guitar Player of the Year awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).
Molly Tuttle and her new band will showcase their talents at the Mercury Lounge in New York City on June 24th, marking the beginning of a new chapter in Tuttle’s musical journey. This transition signifies a bold move for Tuttle as she continues to push boundaries and explore new sonic territories with her all-girl band. Their inaugural performance is highly anticipated, and fans are eager to see what this talented group of musicians will bring to the stage. As they embark on this new chapter, the future looks bright for Molly Tuttle and her band of accomplished female artists.