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