The Secret Sisters
The Secret Sisters | |
|---|---|
 The Secret Sisters performing at the Heartland Festival in the Netherlands in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Genres | Americana,Folk,Country |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Republic,New West |
| Members | Laura Rogers Lydia Slagle |
| Website | secretsisterband |
The Secret Sistersare an Americana singing and songwriting duo consisting of vocalists Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle (née Rogers). The duo's music has been compared to artists likethe Everly Brothers.[1]
History
[edit]Beginnings
[edit]Laura and Lydia Rogers are sisters fromMuscle Shoals, Alabama.[2]With a love for music coming from both sides of their family (their grandfather and his brothers forged a group called the Happy Valley Boys), they grew up with a zeal for country music and sang songs with their family by country music artists such asDon Williams.The girls first learned to harmonize through singinga cappellaat their hometown church.[3]Laura and Lydia never considered a singing career as a duo. Laura went toMiddle Tennessee State Universityto pursue a career in business, while Lydia was considered the "real" singer of the family.
2010: Discovery and debut album
[edit]Laura traveled toNashville, Tennesseefor an impromptu audition atHotel Indigowhere music business record executive Andrew Brightman and producerDave Cobbwere present, looking to create a new singing group. Lydia could not attend the audition, so Laura traveled by herself, where she auditioned with "Same Old You" byMiranda Lambert.Representatives from the audition soon asked her to come back to Nashville, to which she asked if she could bring her sister Lydia along. Lydia showed up later and they were asked to sing together,[4]resulting in the formation of the Secret Sisters. The girls were soon flown to Los Angeles for their first time in the studio to record a couple of demos. For Laura, it was her first time in an airplane. The demos were produced and record companies began responding accordingly. Within weeks, they were assigned toUniversal Republic Recordsand the song selection process for their debut album began.
Theirself-titled debut albumconsists of cover songs such as "Why Don't Ya Love Me?", "Why Baby Why",theFrank Sinatrasong "Somethin' Stupid",andNancy Baron's, "I've Got a Feeling".[5][6]The album also includes two originals written by Laura Rogers: "Tennessee Me" and "Waste the Day". It was recorded in two weeks at Blackbird Studios and produced byDave Cobb,who had worked with artists such asWaylon JenningsandJamey Johnson.T Bone Burnettserved as the executive producer.
The Secret Sisters brought in studio musicians such as steel guitar player Robbie Turner and pianistPig Robbins.The album was recorded with classicanalogequipment.[7]The production team and the sisters used vintage microphones and classic recording techniques, down to the same type of tape they would have used fifty years earlier. The album was released October 12, 2010. Laura tried to describe the experience: "In so many ways we are still the same kids who would perform songs in our parents' room, when we sang about silver threads and golden needles and cold-hearted snakes, and all that. Even with everything that's happened – getting that dream chance to make our own album, I really believe we've just found where we're supposed to be."[8]
In addition to their debut album, they recorded covers ofJohnny Cash's "Big River"and the traditional folk song"Wabash Cannonball"atJack White's studio, with White accompanying them on guitar. It was released as a 7-inch single viaThird Man Records.[9]
Their song "Tomorrow Will Be Kinder", inspired by the tornadoes that swept through Alabama in 2011,[10]was featured on the albumThe Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 and Beyond,although the song was not featured in the film.[11]
2014:Put Your Needle Down
[edit]The duo recorded their second album in December 2012 and January 2013 at the Village Recording Studios,Los Angeles,with T Bone Burnett as producer.
The album,Put Your Needle Down,was released on April 15, 2014. It debuted at No. 110 on theBillboard200,and at No. 18 on the Top Country Albums chart with 3,700 copies sold in its debut week.[12]Reviews were mixed. Several critics expressed disappointment with the album's production and songwriting.
2015: Dropped by Republic Universal Records
[edit]The Secret Sisters were dropped from Republic Universal Records in 2015. At that point, the duo couldn't afford to pay a band to go on tour and soon faced bankruptcy.[13]As reported inRolling Stone,"There was a lawsuit with a former manager to overcome, the shadow of impending bankruptcy and the loss of their record deal following the commercial failure of their second album, 2014'sPut Your Needle Down.It all resulted in an overbearing feeling of despair for both Laura and Lydia. "[14]All of these challenges caused a major songwriting block for the duo.[15]Because of these financial and artistic setbacks, they returned to their home in Alabama and considered giving up music altogether.[16]
During the fall of 2015, singer-songwriterBrandi Carlileinvited the Rogers sisters to open shows for her, including two notable hometown Seattle concerts. During soundcheck, Laura and Lydia tried out "Tennessee River Runs Low," a new song that would eventually end up as the lead single fromYou Don't Own Me Anymore.Carlile had been listening from the auditorium seats and shouted her enthusiasm, encouraging the duo to share the rest of the songs they had recently written. Soon, Carlile was producing their next album.[14]
2017:You Don't Own Me Anymore
[edit]The sisters' third album,You Don't Own Me Anymore,was produced by Brandi Carlile and Tim and PhilHanseroth,mixed by Grammy-winnerTrina Shoemaker,and recorded by Jerry Streeter atBear Creek Studioin Woodinville, WA (except the track “The Damage” which was recorded by Josh Evans at HockeyTalkter Studio in Seattle, WA.)[17]In order to fund the new album, the sisters launched a successfulPledgeMusiccampaign that raised 50% of their goal in just 48 hours (and exceeded it in just over a month) with nearly 1,500 fans coming forward to personally help them rebuild.[18][19]The album was released onNew West Recordson June 9, 2017.[20]It peaked at number 40 onBillboard's Top Album Sales chart in July 2017.[21]
The album consists of songs such as "He's Fine", "To All the Girls Who Cry", "Mississippi", "The Tennessee River Runs Low", and "You Don't Own Me Anymore".
The Secret Sisters went on tour in 2017 in support of their new record. The tour launched on May 13 in their hometown of Florence, Alabama and continued touring through the end of 2017.[19]
The album also garnered the duo's firstGrammynomination, in the category ofGrammy Award for Best Folk Album,though they lost toAimee Mannfor her albumMental Illness.
2020:Saturn Return
[edit]Carlile and the Hanseroth twins again produced the sisters' fourth album,Saturn Return,which was released on February 28, 2020. As with their previous record,You Don't Own Me Anymore,the tracks forSaturn Returnwere recorded at Brandi Carlile's home studio near Seattle.[22]Between the completion of the album's recording in early 2019 and its release in February 2020, both Laura and Lydia gave birth to children; as Lydia stated in an interview withRolling Stone,"The songs on this record will always feel like that lucky photo you accidentally capture, at just the right moment, in just the right light... because it forever documented us as the women we were before the page turned into a new chapter — motherhood, adulthood, grown-up grief, career identity, cultural identity, lifelong love."[22]Rolling StonepraisedSaturn Returnas a "stunning country-soul opus" and gave the album a four-star review.[23]American Songwriteralso gave the album 4/5 stars, describingSaturn Returnas "simply stellar" and "beautifully conceived, often introspective but never insular rootsy folk and pop."[24]
2024:Mind, Man, Medicine
[edit]The Secret Sisters' fifth studio album,Mind, Man, Medicinewas released on March 29, 2024. It was co-produced by the Secret Sisters, John Paul White, and Ben Tanner, and was primarily recorded at FAME Studios inMuscle Shoals, Alabama.[25]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [26] |
US [27] |
US Heat [28] |
US Folk [29] |
UK [30] | ||||
| The Secret Sisters |
|
27 | 200 | 3 | 8 | 29 | ||
| Put Your Needle Down |
|
18 | 110 | 1 | 3 | — | ||
| You Don't Own Me Anymore |
|
30 | 167 | 3 | 7 | — |
| |
| Saturn Return |
|
— | — | 25 | — | — |
| |
| Mind, Man, Medicine |
|
— | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "I've Got a Feeling" | The Secret Sisters |
| 2013 | "Let There Be Lonely" | Put Your Needle Down |
| 2014 | "Rattle My Bones" | |
| "Iuka" | ||
| "Dirty Lie" | ||
| "Black And Blue" | ||
| "The Pocket Knife" | ||
| 2017 | "Tennessee River Runs Low" | You Don't Own Me Anymore |
| "He's Fine" | ||
| "You Don't Own Me Anymore" | ||
| 2018 | "I Have Met My Love Today" | Spotify Singles–with John Prine |
| "I Just Called to Say I Love You" | ||
| 2019 | "Cabin" | Saturn Return |
| "Hold You Dear" | ||
| 2020 | "Hand Over My Heart" | |
| "Late Bloomer" | ||
| 2024 | "Same Water" | Mind, Man, Medicine |
| "All the Ways" | ||
| "Paperweight" | ||
| "Mama Now" | Non-album single |
Album appearances
[edit]| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "One Way Ticket to the Moon" | The Blackbird Diaries(Dave Stewartalbum) |
| "Country Wine" | ||
| "The One I Love Is Gone (Live)" | T-Bone Burnett Presents The Speaking Clock Revue: Live From The Beacon Theatre(T-Bone Burnettalbum) | |
| 2012 | "Tomorrow Will Be Kinder" | The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond |
| "Peggy Gordon" | Voice of Ages(The Chieftainsalbum) | |
| 2013 | "It Won't Be Very Long" | To All the Girls...(Willie Nelsonalbum) |
| 2016 | "I've Been Over This Before" | Beulah(John Paul Whitealbum) |
| 2016 | "Dangerous Things" | Dangerous Things(Dan Layusalbum)[33] |
| "Four Rings" | ||
| "You Can Have Mine" | ||
| "Only Gets Darker" | ||
| "The Nightbird" | ||
| 2017 | "Losing Heart" | Cover Stories(Brandi Carlilealbum) |
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Tennessee Me"[34] | David McClister |
| 2013 | "Lonely Island" | |
| 2014 | "Rattle My Bones" | |
| 2017 | "Tennessee River Runs Low" | Tyler Jones |
| "You Don't Own Me Anymore"[35] | ||
| 2024 | "All the Ways"[36] | Brandon Ward |
Television appearances
[edit]- Late Show with David Letterman,November 2010
- Hootenanny,BBC Television,New Year's Eve 2010[1]
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,March 2012
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,August 2014
References
[edit]- ^ab"Can you really keep a secret?".The Herald.December 26, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 12,2012.
- ^"Quick Spin: The Secret Sisters' pretty and pristine self-titled album".The Washington Post.December 28, 2010.
- ^Greenwald, Andy."Band of the Week: New Traditionalists, the Secret Sisters".Rolling Stone.RetrievedFebruary 1,2011.
- ^"Country California is being retired".Countrycalifornia.Archived fromthe originalon May 25, 2018.RetrievedMay 25,2018.
- ^Allen, James."The Secret Sisters".All Music.RetrievedJanuary 12,2012.
- ^Rowland, Stephen (November 8, 2010)."The Secret Sisters: The Secret Sisters".PopMatters.RetrievedJanuary 12,2012.
- ^"Slacker Radio Featured".Slacker Radio.RetrievedMay 25,2018.
- ^"Secret Sisters Biography".Secretsistersband.Universal Music. Archived fromthe originalon December 22, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 12,2012.
- ^"Secret Sisters - Big River 7" Vinyl ".Third Man Records.RetrievedMarch 31,2020.
- ^"'Hunger Games' Soundtrack: The Secret Sisters Sound Off on 'Tomorrow Will Be Kinder' (Q&A) ".Hollywoodreporter.March 23, 2012.RetrievedMay 25,2018.
- ^Carlson, Sarah (January 12, 2012)."Secret Sisters ready for sophomore effort".TimesDaily.RetrievedFebruary 22,2012.
- ^Alanna Conaway (April 23, 2014)."Country Music's Top 10 Albums: The Week of April 23, 2014".Roughstock.Archived fromthe originalon April 26, 2014.
- ^"Secret Sisters overcome lawsuit, bankruptcy, being dropped by label to make new LP".AL.RetrievedJanuary 25,2018.
- ^ab"Stream Secret Sisters' Defiant New Album 'You Don't Own Me Anymore'".Rolling Stone.RetrievedJanuary 25,2018.
- ^"The Secret Sisters On World Cafe".NPR.org.RetrievedJanuary 25,2018.
- ^Niesel, Jeff."Folk Duo the Secret Sisters Get a Well-Deserved Second Chance".Cleveland Scene.RetrievedJanuary 25,2018.
- ^"You Don't Own Me Anymore, by The Secret Sisters".The Secret Sisters.RetrievedJanuary 25,2018.
- ^"The Secret Sisters: You Don't Own Me Anymore « American Songwriter".American Songwriter.June 6, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 25,2018.
- ^ab"The Secret Sisters Sign To New West, Brandi Carlile-Produced LP 'You Don't Own Me Anymore' Releases June 9 – JambandNews.net".Jambandnews.net.March 31, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 25,2018.
- ^"Secret Sisters: Long Way Home".Magnetmagazine.August 28, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 25,2018.
- ^"Top Album Sales: Page 1".Billboard.RetrievedJanuary 25,2018.
- ^abMarissa R. Moss (February 5, 2020)."Inside the Secret Sisters' Haunting New Album With Brandi Carlile".Rolling Stone.RetrievedFebruary 26,2020.
- ^Jonathan Bernstein (February 27, 2020)."The Secret Sisters Find Their Voice on 'Saturn Return'".Rolling Stone.RetrievedFebruary 28,2020.
- ^Hal Horowitz (February 24, 2020)."The Secret Sisters Are Simply Stellar on 'Saturn Return'".American Songwriter.RetrievedMarch 3,2020.
- ^"The Secret Sisters Return With 'Mind, Man, Medicine' Out 3/29 Via New West".Glide Magazine.January 10, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 31,2024.
- ^"The Secret Sisters Album & Song Chart History - Country Albums".Billboard.RetrievedApril 24,2014.
- ^"The Secret Sisters Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200".Billboard.RetrievedApril 24,2014.
- ^"The Secret Sisters Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums".Billboard.RetrievedApril 24,2014.
- ^"The Secret Sisters Album & Song Chart History - Folk Albums".Billboard.RetrievedApril 24,2014.
- ^"Secret Sisters".The Official Charts Company.
- ^Bjorke, Matt (July 10, 2017)."Top 10 Country Album Sales Chart: July 10, 2017".Roughstock.
- ^Bjorke, Matt (March 10, 2020)."Top 10 Country Albums Pure Sales Chart: March 9, 2020".RoughStock.RetrievedMarch 22,2020.
- ^"Dan Layus".Spotify.
- ^"Tennessee Me – The Secret Sisters | Music Video | VEVO".Vevo.RetrievedMarch 15,2011.
- ^"You Don't Own Me Anymore – The Secret Sisters | Music Video | VEVO".Vevo.RetrievedFebruary 6,2018.
- ^The Secret Sisters - "All the Ways (feat. Ray LaMontagne)" [Official Music Video].February 13, 2024.RetrievedMarch 25,2024– via YouTube.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
