Kelsey Waldon is an American country singer and songwriter. She has released four EPs and six full albums, the most recent being "No Regular Dog" released on August 12, 2022.

Early life

Waldon was born in

Ballard County, Kentucky Ballard County is a county located in the extreme west portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,728. Its county seat is Wickliffe. The county was created by the Kentucky State Legislature in 1842 and ...

, and raised in the rural Western Kentucky town

Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky Monkey's Eyebrow is a rural unincorporated community in Ballard County, Kentucky, United States. It is generally the northwesternmost community in the Jackson Purchase area of western Kentucky that is identified on the highway maps distributed by ...

. Waldon's family roots in the Bluegrass State date back over ten generations, from tobacco farmers to cattle raisers, and some of her first jobs were in farming and planting tobacco. She picked up the guitar at age 13 to deal with her parents' divorce, and continued to use music as an outlet throughout her teenage years. After high school, instead of pursuing a college degree, Waldon moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

to see if she could make it in the music industry. She picked up any small gigs she could find, and continued to insert herself in the Nashville community. After two years she decided to enroll in

Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...

majoring in

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

and music business so that she could learn more about the music industry.

Career

Waldon self-released four EP's before releasing her debut LP ''The Goldmine''. In 2007 she released ''Dirty Feet, Dirty Hands'', followed by ''Anchor In The Valley'' in 2010, ''Anybody's Darlin'' in 2011, and ''Fixin' It Up'' in 2012. Waldon's following began to grow when she released ''The Goldmine'', produced by Michael Rinne, in 2014 which

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

dubbed as “the brightest country debut of 2014”. The album was named one of Rolling Stone's “10 New Artists You Need To Know: Summer 2014" with journalist Marissa Moss calling Waldon, "

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...

on a trip to Whiskeytown, as unafraid of heavy twang and spitfire pedal steel as coffeehouse confessionals." Waldon released another LP, titled ''I’ve Got A Way'' in 2016. Her sophomore album ranked on two of

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's most-acclaimed lists of the year; Fresh Air host

Ken Tucker Kenneth Tucker is an American arts, music and television critic, magazine editor, and non-fiction book writer. Early life and education Tucker was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He earned a ...

's “Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2016” alongside

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...

, and Stax legend

William Bell (singer) William Bell (Birth name, ''né'' Yarbrough; born July 16, 1939) is an American soul music, soul singer and songwriter. As a performer, he is probably best known for his debut single, 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water"; 1968's top 10 hit in the ...

In May 2019, it was announced at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

that Waldon recently signed to

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

's label

Oh Boy Records Oh Boy Records is an independent American record label founded in 1981 by singer John Prine, his manager Al Bunetta, and their friend Dan Einstein. The label has released more than 40 audio and video recordings by singer-songwriters Prine, Kris ...

. Waldon is the first artist in fifteen years to be signed to Prine's label. Waldon released the album ''White Noise/White Lines,'' her first release on

, on October 4, 2019. The album was produced by Waldon and

Dan Knobler Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

. "Anyhow" was released as the lead single from the album. Writing for ''Nashville Lifestyles Magazine'', music critic Luke Levenson commented, "The new LP pulls inspiration from both her Kentucky roots and the three intense years since her last release." “They'll Never Keep Us Down”, an EP of politically-charged

cover song In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...

s, was set for release on November 20, 2020. As well as the

Hazel Dickens Hazel Jane Dickens (June 1, 1925 – April 22, 2011) was an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, double bassist and guitarist. Her music was characterized not only by her high, lonesome singing style, but also by her provocative pro-union ...

title track, she also tackled

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...

Mississippi Goddamn "Mississippi Goddam" is a song written and performed by American singer and pianist Nina Simone, who later announced the anthem to be her "first civil rights song". The song was released on her album ''Nina Simone in Concert'' in 1964, which was ...

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Nig ...

’s “The Law Is for Protection of the People,”

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

’s “

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

,”

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

’s “ With God on Our Side,”

Billy Taylor Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the ...

and

Dick Dallas Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to: Media * ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia * Dicks (band), a musical group * ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film * "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat Names ...

’ “

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" is a jazz song written by Billy Taylor. Taylor's original version (as "I Wish I Knew") was recorded on November 12, 1963, and released on his ''Right Here, Right Now!'' album (Capitol ST-2039) the foll ...

” and

founder

's " Sam Stone". Guests include

Adia Victoria Adia Victoria (born July 22, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. In addition to playing and writing music, she also writes poetry. She is currently based in Nashville. Musical style Victoria has described her music as "gothic blues". ...

, Kyshona Armstrong, and

Devon Gilfillian Devon Gilfillian is an American soul singer-songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. Early life Gilfillian is originally from Morton, Pennsylvania. He began playing guitar at age 14, and while still in high school played in a band called Black ...

. Kelsey has performed with artists of high notoriety within the country and Americana genres, such as

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature int ...

, and Jamey Johnson. In 2019,

invited Kelsey Waldon to join him on stage at

Bonnaroo Music Festival The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in ...

to sing Prine's duet "In Spite of Ourselves". Waldon also joined guitarist and songwriter Jamey Johnson in performing Prine's Paradise,

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

' "I Saw the Light", and

Don Williams Donald Ray Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American country singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing popular ballads and amassing seventeen number ...

' "Tulsa Time". During Americana Fest 2019, Waldon stayed busy performing solo sets, as well as playing with

at 3rd and Lindsley. "That was definitely the most event-filled week I’ve ever done," Waldon told the ''Nashville Scene''.

Performances

Waldon made her debut performance on the

at the

Ryman Auditorium Ryman Auditorium (also known as Grand Ole Opry House and Union Gospel Tabernacle) is a 2,362-seat live-performance venue located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in Nashville, Tennessee. It is best known as the home of the ''Grand Ole Opry'' fr ...

in 2016, then was invited to play the Opry House on April 23 of 2019. She performed at The Opry again on May 28, 2019 together with

, Sturgill Simpson, and others. She has also played the historic

Station Inn The Station Inn is a concert venue in Nashville, Tennessee that hosts bluegrass music acts. Frommers wrote that it is "widely regarded as one of the best bluegrass venues around". The small nightclub has a reputation for being a simple building, ...

, the go-to spot of the 1970s, where intimate, post-Opry jam sessions were hosted by musicians like

Jimmy Martin James Henry Martin (August 10, 1927 – May 14, 2005) was an American bluegrass musician, known as the "King of Bluegrass". Early years Martin was born in Sneedville, Tennessee, United States, and was raised in the hard farming life of rural ...

Bobby Osborne Bobby Osborne (born December 7, 1931) is an American bluegrass musician. He is the co-founder (with his brother Sonny Osborne) of the Osborne Brothers and a member of the Grand Ole Opry and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. He also ...

, and

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

* ''Dirty Feet, Dirty Hands'' (2007)

Self-released Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pr ...

* ''Anybody's Darlin'' (2011) Self-released * ''Fixin' It Up'' (2012) Self-released * ''On Audiotree Live'' (2016) Audiotree Music * ''They'll Never Keep Us Down'' (2020)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waldon, Kelsey Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American women country singers American country singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters Country musicians from Kentucky 21st-century American singer-songwriters Songwriters from Kentucky People from Ballard County, Kentucky 21st-century American women singers