Brit Taylor is a singer-songwriter and owns her own record label, Cut a Shine Records.

Brit Taylor
BornHindman, Kentucky
GenresCountry
OccupationSongwriter
Years active2020–present
Websitebrittaylormusic.com

Taylor has worked alongside musicians including Mike and the Moonpies, Sturgill Simpson, David R. Ferguson, and her 2020 album, Real Me, opened as the highest-ranking debut album on the AMA/CDX Radio Chart at #37.[1]

Taylor was voted No. 2 on Paramount's CMT 12-Pack Countdown and the second most added album on Americana Radio Association's AMA/CDX Radio Chart.[2]

Early life and education

edit

Taylor was born in Hindman, Kentucky, near the Country Music Highway (Route 23), named after the high number of well known artists who grew up there as well, including Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, Tom T. Hall, Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, and Patty Loveless.

Taylor performed on local Opry stages from a young age. In 2007, she moved to Nashville to study music at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. She took classes with Mark Stephen Jones and scheduled co-writing sessions three days a week. In 2012, she signed a publishing contract. She also shortly joined the country duo Triple Run, got married, and started a mini-farm. In 2017, she got divorced,[3] her band disbanded, she nearly lost her home, and in 2018, she lost her publishing deal.[4]

Shortly after the collapse of her publishing deal, Taylor met Dan Auerbach, who cowrote eight songs in two days with her,[2] five of which, including “Back in the Fire,” “Love Me Back” and “Real Me,” premiered on her album "Real Me."[5]

She restarted her music career funded by launching a cleaning business, singing on Broadway seven nights a week, making and sharing demos, and cold calling record label executives.[4] She created her own record label, Cut A Shine Records. In 2021, she got remarried to Adam Chaffins, who has also cowritten and coproduced several songs in her discography.[3]

In 2023, Taylor signed a deal between Cut A Shine Records and Thirty Tigers and a publishing contract with Reservoir and One Riot.[6]

Musical career

edit

Taylor's music is influenced by Patty Loveless, Karen Carpenter, Glen Campbell, and disco. Running the gamut from Patsy Cline to Elvis to George Jones.[5] Her music has been described as "a heady mix of Appalachian twang, Patsy Cline’s tears and strong, resilient female empowerment,"[7] "steel guitar-drenched, laid back" sound that "hits traditional country notes",[8] with her "liquid alto singing voice, with bright teardrop accents."[9]

In 2021 and 2022, Taylor performed at AMERICANAFEST in Nashville[10] and in 2022 opened for Alabama, Dwight Yoakam, Kelsey Waldon, Robert Earl Keen and Ian Noe. Starting in 2022, she toured with Blackberry Smoke.

Grammy-winners Sturgill Simpson and David R. Ferguson produced Taylor’s second album, Kentucky Blue, which Wide Open Country and Saving Country Music listed among the Most Anticipated Albums of 2023. PBS featured Wide Open Country as a prerelease song on “The Caverns Sessions” in November 2022.[11] Kentucky Blue reached the Top 15 on iTunes Country Album chart and was the feature cover of Spotify’s The Pulse of Americana playlist when it was first released.[12]

Taylor performed at the Grand Ole Opry on March 22, 2023.[2]

Albums and EPs

edit
Title Details Songs Collaborators Notable
Kentucky Blue Release date: February 3, 2023

Produced by Sturgill Simpson and David R. Ferguson

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

  • Cabin in the Woods - 3:44
  • Anything but You - 2:59
  • Kentucky Blue - 2:59
  • Rich Little Girls - 2:59
  • No Cowboys - 3:47
  • If You Don't Wanna Love Me - 2:59
  • Ain't a Hard Livin' - 2:46
  • Love's Never Been That Good to Me - 3:45
  • For a Night - 4:00
  • Best We Can Do - 3:23
Cowriters: Reached Top 15 on iTunes Country Album chart[12]

Feature cover of Spotify’s The Pulse of Americana playlist[12]

Ain't a Hard Livin' Release date: 2023

Produced by Sturgill Simpson and David R. Ferguson

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

  • Ain't a Hard Livin' - 2:46
  • Rich Little Girls - 2:59
  • Kentucky Blue - 2:59
  • Cabin in the Woods - 3:44
Cowriters:
Rich Little Girls Release date: 2022

Produced by Sturgill Simpson and David R. Ferguson

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

Published by Bluewater Music Services Corp.

  • Rich Little Girls - 2:59
  • Kentucky Blue - 2:59
  • Cabin in the Woods - 3:44
Cowriters:
  • Adam Wright
  • Kimberly Kelly
Kentucky Blue Release date: 2022

Produced by Sturgill Simpson and David R. Ferguson

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

  • Kentucky Blue - 2:59
  • Cabin in the Woods - 3:44
Cowriters:
  • Adam Wright
  • Kimberly Kelly
Real Me (Deluxe) Release date: 2021

Produced by Dave Brainard

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

Published by Wixen Music Publishing, Inc.

  • Back in the Fire - 2:52
  • Real Me - 3:19
  • Wagon - 3:02
  • Waking up Ain't Easy - 3:23
  • Love Me Back - 2:59
  • Broken Heart Breaks - 2:38
  • Married Again - 2:29
  • Leave Me Tomorrow - 2:50
  • Raggedy Heart - 2:52
  • Go Down Swingin' - 2:19
  • Ain't That Lonely Yet - 2:57
  • I Go to Pieces - 2:57
  • At Least There's No Babies - 3:48
Cowriters:

Dee White - cowriter, coperformer

Real Me Release date: 2020

Produced by Dave Brainard

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

Published by Wixen Music Publishing, Inc.

  • Back in the Fire - 2:52
  • Real Me - 3:19
  • Wagon - 3:02
  • Waking up Ain't Easy - 3:23
  • Love Me Back - 2:59
  • Broken Heart Breaks - 2:38
  • Married Again - 2:29
  • Raggedy Heart - 2:52
  • Go Down Swingin' - 2:19
Cowriters: Real Me opened as the highest-ranking debut album on the AMA/CDX Radio Chart at #37[1]

“Back In The Fire” debuted at #46 on the AMA/CDX Americana Top 50 singles chart.[1]

Waking Up Ain’t Easy was used in the Paramount+ series Tulsa King.[13]

Singles

edit
Title Details Collaborators Notable
Gone as It Gets Release date: 2022

Produced by Andrew Petroff

Cowriters:
  • Margaret McRee
  • Adam Chaffins
  • Benjamin Chapman
Lonely on Christmas Release date: 2022

Produced by Adam Chaffins

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

Jason White - cowriter

Mike and the Moonpies - coperformers

Cabin in the Woods Release date: 2021

Produced by Sturgill Simpson and David R. Ferguson

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

Jason White - cowriter
At Least There's No Babies Release date: 2021

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

Dee White - cowriter, coperformer
Broken Heart Breaks Release date: 2020

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

Published by Wixen Music Publishing, Inc.

Cowriters:
Back in the Fire Release date: 2020

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

Published by Wixen Music Publishing, Inc.

Dan Auerbach - cowriter

Pat McLaughlin - cowriter

Wagon Release date: 2020

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

Marcus Hummon - cowriter
Waking Up Ain't Easy Release date: 2020

Distributed by Cut A Shine Records

Dave Brainard - cowriter

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Leiber, Sarah Jae. "Brit Taylor's Real Me Debuts in the Top 40 Americana Radio". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  2. ^ a b c Opry. "Brit Taylor | Opry". www.opry.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  3. ^ a b "Brit Taylor Opens Up About Finding Love Again Following Divorce: 'He's the Best Guy'". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  4. ^ a b "Meet Brit Taylor, the Kentucky songwriter endorsed by Sturgill Simpson". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  5. ^ a b Despres, Tricia (2020-12-28). "Brit Taylor Keeps Working Her Way Through The Fire". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  6. ^ "RESERVOIR AND ONE RIOT ANNOUNCE PUBLISHING DEAL WITH COUNTRY SINGER-SONGWRITER BRIT TAYLOR". Reservoir Media. 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  7. ^ Daykin, James (2023-02-01). "Brit Taylor - 'Kentucky Blue' review". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  8. ^ Newman, Melinda (2020-06-05). "First Country: New Music From Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton & Brantley Gilbert & More". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  9. ^ "DISClaimer Single Reviews: Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton". MusicRow.com. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  10. ^ "Revealing the Final Additions to Our 2022 Lineup". AmericanaMusic.org. 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  11. ^ The Caverns Sessions | BRIT TAYLOR | Episode 12 | PBS, retrieved 2023-05-10
  12. ^ a b c Holthouse, Jerry (2023-02-14). "Brit Taylor To Make Her Opry Debut March 22". Nashville.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  13. ^ Hough, Q. V. (2022-11-13). "Soundtracks of Television: 'Tulsa King'". Vague Visages. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
edit