My name is Adrienne Young. I am a child of the 70's, a 7th generation
Floridian that comes from 'good pioneer stock' as my papa puts
it. I was born in Tallahassee and raised in Clearwater which
is just west of Tampa, Florida on the Gulf of Mexico.
I am blessed with early memories of AM radio and singing with
my family. They belonged to the Church of Christ and after Sunday
service, a typical family scene would include my mother playing
an alternating bass line on the piano and harmonizing old gospel
tunes with my grandma's tender tenor while papa picked the banjo
or guitar. As a consequence, I never listened much to the Sunday
sermon; I was too busy trying to figure out shape notes.
I am lucky that my family has always been very passionate
about music. My grandad serves as one of my highest inspirations.
Just shy of eighty, he still picks the mandolin with his bluegrass
band, Timberlane, in Tallahassee, Florida and my grandma plays
a mean autoharp. My mother, Tempest, has a beautiful voice and
sang at the Moose Lodge (local chapter 58) every Saturday night
with a big band while I watched my sisters. She's also an award-winning
dancer.
I followed musical suit by starting a jazz band at 18 and,
by the grace of God, ended up making a living singing around
Florida. I scored a job as the 'house chanteusse' at 'El Columbia,'
circa 1905, in Ybor City, Tampa which is a breathtakingly ornate
cigar bar/restaurant built in the cuban district complete with
flamenco dancers and mafia legends. I also was involved in a
folk-based acoustic rock project in Gainesville, Florida that
focused on 'upbeat, original pop melodies delivered in tight
3-part harmony.' We went by the name 'Big White Undies,' sold
a few thousand cds and toured for a couple of years until other
pursuits steered us towards alternate routes.
During these formative projects, songwriting emerged as my
primary passion. I chose to attend Belmont University in Nashville,
Tennessee solely to be surrounded by the finest songwriters in
the world. After graduating with a music business/audio-visual
production/Spanish degree, I started working in and around Music
Row, learning about the business while developing my songs. I
formed 'Liters of Pop' with singer/songwriter/player/engineer
Eric McConnell, which provided a vehicle for both of us as songwriters
but stylistically wasn't meant to be. So, I set out on my own
for the first time following that project and decided to do a
solo record that would focus on music I could go back home and
jam to with my grandad.
I had wanted to play banjo since I was a kid, what with my
papa always picking on one. I had a banjo but couldn't figure
out the thumb thing. I came upon a flyer for banjo lessons at
Fido, one of our local joe houses, and ended up meeting a person
who has profoundly influenced my musical life.
Now I must talk about Will Kimbrough. I had wanted to work
with Will for years. He lives in Nashville with his family and
has a sterling reputation not only for being a tremendous songwriter/singer,
but also the nicest guy you'll ever meet who can play any darn
thing you put in his hands. We co-wrote and sang 'Home Remedy'
as well as 'Plow to the End of the Row,' and co-produced most
of the record together. As I said before, it's a fine day...
So, here we are. I chose to write this biography myself, making
it an autobiography and affording me license to say what I will.
AddieBelle Music is my record label. I envision an organization
that will produce music honoring those beliefs, ideals and customs
akin to good people and old souls everywhere. We here at AddieBelle
Music want to express our gratefulness to the universe for making
this possible. We intend to form long and loyal relationships
with like-minded individuals and we want our listeners to understand
how valued they are. Thank you for taking the time to read about
what the heck is going on here. The AddieBelle team shall continue
to strive towards the production of solid, finely-fashioned,
high-value, honest music that the whole family can enjoy.
Thank You.
peace, love, and other seeds of greatness,
Adrienne Young
