Sierra Hull
Encyclopedia
Sierra Hull is an American bluegrass
singer and mandolin
ist.
Hull was signed to Rounder Records
in 2002 at the age of 13 and released her debut album, Secrets, in 2008. The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart. Her second album, Daybreak, was released on March 8, 2011.
, Tennessee
and attended Pickett County High School before accepting a Presidential Scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music
.
Hull began playing the mandolin at the age of eight and put out the album Angel Mountain at 10. Hull was soon playing jam sessions with other musicians in her family, and by 2001 she was entering local talent contests. Her parents, Stacy and Brenda, took her to numerous bluegrass festivals and it was during an International Bluegrass Music Association
festival that she came to the attention of Rounder Records
chief talent scout Ken Irwin. At age 11 she was mentored and befriended by Alison Krauss
, herself once a child prodigy on the fiddle.
She has a brother, Cody, and is a distant cousin of former United States Secretary of State Cordell Hull
.
Hull has already received five International Bluegrass Music Association nominations in the past three years.
, released in May 2008, was co-produced by Alison Krauss
and Ron Block
which follows a self-released CD Angel Mountain, in 2002. The production by Hull and Ron Block paid tribute and honored the tradition and style of bluegrass music. The album contained 3 original songs penned by Hull. She was just 15 when she recorded the album and released at just 16.
. The album features collaborations with Bryan Sutton on guitar and Randy Kohrs on dobro. Guest singers include Dan Tyminski
, Shawn Lane and Ronnie Bowman.
The themes on Daybreak are largely relationship oriented and surround universal subjects like love won and lost.
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
singer and mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
ist.
Hull was signed to Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
in 2002 at the age of 13 and released her debut album, Secrets, in 2008. The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart. Her second album, Daybreak, was released on March 8, 2011.
Biography
Sierra Hull was born and raised in ByrdstownByrdstown, Tennessee
Byrdstown is a town in Pickett County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 903 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pickett County.-Geography:...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and attended Pickett County High School before accepting a Presidential Scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
.
Hull began playing the mandolin at the age of eight and put out the album Angel Mountain at 10. Hull was soon playing jam sessions with other musicians in her family, and by 2001 she was entering local talent contests. Her parents, Stacy and Brenda, took her to numerous bluegrass festivals and it was during an International Bluegrass Music Association
International Bluegrass Music Association
The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music.Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International Bluegrass Music Museum as a joint venture with...
festival that she came to the attention of Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
chief talent scout Ken Irwin. At age 11 she was mentored and befriended by Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, herself once a child prodigy on the fiddle.
She has a brother, Cody, and is a distant cousin of former United States Secretary of State Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull was an American politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. He is best known as the longest-serving Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during much of World War II...
.
Hull has already received five International Bluegrass Music Association nominations in the past three years.
Secrets
Hull's debut album on Rounder RecordsRounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
, released in May 2008, was co-produced by Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
and Ron Block
Ron Block
Ronald Frankin "Ron" Block is an American bluegrass and alternative country musician, mainly playing the banjo and the guitar, singing, and writing gospel music.-Biography:...
which follows a self-released CD Angel Mountain, in 2002. The production by Hull and Ron Block paid tribute and honored the tradition and style of bluegrass music. The album contained 3 original songs penned by Hull. She was just 15 when she recorded the album and released at just 16.
Daybreak
On her 2011 second release on Rounder Records, the 19-year-old has composed seven of the 12 songs and it was produced by Alison Krauss & Union Station bassist Barry BalesBarry Bales
Barry Turner Bales is the bass player and harmony vocalist for Alison Krauss and Union Station....
. The album features collaborations with Bryan Sutton on guitar and Randy Kohrs on dobro. Guest singers include Dan Tyminski
Dan Tyminski
Daniel John "Dan" Tyminski is a bluegrass composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist. He is a member of the band Alison Krauss and Union Station and has released two solo albums, Carry Me Across the Mountain , on the Doobie Shea Records label, and Wheels , on the Rounder Records label.He is best...
, Shawn Lane and Ronnie Bowman.
The themes on Daybreak are largely relationship oriented and surround universal subjects like love won and lost.
Albums
| Title | Details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Bluegrass |
||
| Angel Mountain |
|
- |
| Secrets |
Rounder Records Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students... |
2 |
| Daybreak |
|
5 |
Other singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Hullarious" | Sierra Hull | An American Tradition |
| 2008 | "Just As I Am" | Sierra Hull | Billy: The Early Years Billy: The Early Years (soundtrack) Billy: The Early Years is the official movie soundtrack for the film of the same name. It was released October 7, 2008, and charted at No. 70 on the U.S. Top Country Albums chart. The album has produced two chart singles; "Low" by Sara Evans and "Over the Next Hill" by Brooks & Dunn... |
| 2010 | "Gospel Plow" | The Lovell Sisters, Bearfoot, Sierra Hull & The New Generation Jam | MerleFest Live |
| "Big Sciota" | |||
| 2011 | "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" | Sixties Invasion featuring Sierra Hull | Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Easy Come, Easy Go" | David McClister |
| "Someone Like You Someone Like You (Adele song) "Someone Like You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Adele. Written by Adele and Dan Wilson for her second studio album 21, the song was inspired by a broken relationship of hers, and lyrically it speaks of Adele coming to terms with it... " |
Brad Paul | |
| "Chasin' Skies" | ||
| "Tell Me Tomorrow" | ||
| "Daybreak" | David McClister |