Sierra Dawn Hull (born September 27, 1991) is an American bluegrass singer-songwriter,[1][2][3][4][5][6] mandolinist, and guitarist.[7]
Sierra Hull | |
|---|---|
 Hull in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sierra Dawn Hull |
| Born | September 27, 1991 Byrdstown, Tennessee |
| Genres | Bluegrass |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Mandolin, guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Rounder |
| Spouse | Justin Moses (m. May 14, 2017) |
| Website | www |
Hull was signed to Rounder Records at the age of 13[8] and released her debut vocal album, Secrets, in 2008 at the age of 16. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart.[9] Her second album, Daybreak, was released on March 8, 2011.[10]
Early life and career
editSierra Hull was born and raised in Byrdstown, Tennessee and attended Pickett County High School before accepting a Presidential Scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music.[11]
Hull began playing the mandolin at the age of eight and put out the album Angel Mountain at 10. She 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 Hull, 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.[12] At age 11 she was mentored and befriended by Alison Krauss, herself once a child prodigy on the fiddle.[13] Hull and Krauss, along with Dan Tyminski, performed at the White House on November 21, 2011.[14]
She has a brother, Cody, and is a distant cousin of former United States Secretary of State Cordell Hull.[15]
Hull has won ten International Bluegrass Music Association awards between 2010 and 2023, including winning best mandolin player in 6 out of the past 8 years (2016-2023).[16]
Hull received the Bluegrass Star Award, presented by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, on October 19, 2013. The award is bestowed upon bluegrass artists who do an exemplary job of advancing traditional bluegrass music and bringing it to new audiences while preserving its character and heritage.[17]
Touring
editHull performed with the band Highway 111 at the Gettysburg Bluegrass festival in 2005. She continued to tour, even while she attended Berklee College of Music.[18]
Hull has also recorded and toured with Cory Wong, featured as a supporting act and collaborative partner on a 2022 tour.[19]
Recordings
editSecrets
editHull's vocal debut album on Rounder Records, 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 16 when it was released.
Daybreak
editOn her 2011 second release on Rounder Records, the 20-year-old has composed seven of the 12 songs and it was produced by Alison Krauss & Union Station bassist Barry Bales. The album features collaborations with Bryan Sutton on guitar and Randy Kohrs on dobro. Guest singers include Dan Tyminski, Shawn Lane and Ronnie Bowman.
Features
editHull was a guest vocalist with lead singer James Adkins on the male-female duet "Love Song",[20] featured on the 2015 self-titled album from Americana group Big Virginia Sky.
Weighted Mind
editReleased on January 29, 2016, Weighted Mind, Hull's third LP, was produced by the highly regarded banjo player Béla Fleck, who encouraged Hull to consider recording it solo.[21] Hull, however, decided to enlist an accompanist, bassist Ethan Jodziewicz, who is featured on every track. The album also includes vocal contributions by Alison Krauss, Abigail Washburn, and Rhiannon Giddens.
NPR reviewer Jewly Hight called Weighted Mind a "stunning coming-of-age album," adding that "Hull has joined the rarefied company of Nickel Creek expats Chris Thile, Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins, pedigreed virtuosos whose youthful, searching musical minds have taken them into postmodern singer-songwriter territory and beyond."[22]
Treasure Of The Broken Land: The Songs Of Mark Heard
editHull contributed her cover of "Strong Hand of Love" in a Mark Heard tribute album entitled "Treasure Of The Broken Land: The Songs Of Mark Heard" (Storm Weathered Records) in 2017.
25 Trips
editReleased on February 28, 2020, co-produced by Hull and producer / engineer Shani Gandhi, features guitarist Mike Seal, bassist Ethan Jodziewicz, violinist Alex Hargreaves, and fiddler Christian Sedelmyer, together with bassist Viktor Krauss, guitarist Bryan Sutton, multi-instrumentalist Stuart Duncan, and steel guitarist Paul Franklin, and guest appearances by Molly Tuttle, Ron Block, Mindy Smith, Ronnie Bowman, Katie Pruitt, Angel Snow, and Hull's husband, multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses.
Liam Lewis opined, "25 Trips is an eclectic album, with a contemporary feel, showcasing Hull’s songwriting and exceptional vocals, crystal clear but with emotion and character, on 13 songs, self and co-written on the pleasures and travails of becoming the person and the musician she is today."[23]
Hull appeared as one of the musicians on Cuttin' Grass, the 2020 bluegrass album by Sturgill Simpson.
Personal life
edit
Hull married fellow bluegrass musician Justin Moses on May 14, 2017. Hull and Moses tour together.[24] She lives in Nashville.[25]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Grass [26] |
US Heat [27] | ||||
| Angel Mountain |
|
— | — | ||
| Secrets |
|
2 | — | ||
| Daybreak |
|
5 | — | ||
| Weighted Mind |
|
1 | 5 | ||
| 25 Trips |
|
1 | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Other singles
edit| Year | Single | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Hullarious" | Sierra Hull | An American Tradition |
| 2008 | "Just As I Am" | Sierra Hull | Billy: The Early Years |
| 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 |
| 2013 | "Cups (When I'm Gone)" | The Bankesters with Sierra Hull | Love Has Wheels |
| 2014 | "You're a Flower Blooming in the Wildwood" | Mac Wiseman with Sierra Hull | Songs from My Mother's Hand |
| 2014 | "Promises" | Jeff Pippin and the Apple Valley Band featuring Sierra Hull | A Malibugrass Christmas |
| 2014 | "Let the Wind Be My Friend" | Jon Weisberger featuring Sierra Hull & the Lonesome Heirs | I've Been Mostly Awake |
| 2014 | "New Camptown Races" | David Naiditch featuring Sierra Hull, Dennis Caplinger, Jake Workman, Austin Ward, Rob Ickes & Stuart Duncan | Bluegrass in the Backwoods |
| "Little Rock Getaway" | David Naiditch featuring Sierra Hull, Dennis Caplinger, Jake Workman, Christian Ward, Rob Ickes & Austin Ward | ||
| "The Smooch On the Porch / Bus Stop Reel" | David Naiditch featuring Sierra Hull, Jake Workman & Austin Ward | ||
| "Jamboree" | David Naiditch featuring Dennis Caplinger, Sierra Hull, Rob Ickes, Christian Ward, Jake Workman & Austin Ward | ||
| 2014 | "I Always Do" | Missy Werner featuring Jon Weisberger, Megan McCormick, Stephen Mougin, Maggie Estes White, Thomas Wywrot, Artie Werner & Sierra Hull | Turn This Heart Around |
| "Wish I Was" | Missy Werner featuring Sarah Siskind, Artie Werner, Megan McCormick, Jon Weisberger, Sierra Hull, Maggie Estes White & Thomas Wywrot | ||
| "Cloudless Blue" | Missy Werner featuring Sierra Hull, Megan McCormick, Jon Weisberger, Maggie Estes White, Thomas Wywrot & Artie Werner | ||
| "Dead Man Walking" | Missy Werner featuring Thomas Wywrot, Larry Cordle, Val Storey, Sierra Hull, Megan McCormick, Jon Weisberger & Maggie Estes White | ||
| "Come Back to Me" | Missy Werner featuring Megan McCormick, Jon Weisberger, Maggie Estes White, Thomas Wywrot & Sierra Hull | ||
| 2015 | "Can't Help Yourself" | Cindy Morgan featuring Gabe Dixon & Sierra Hull | Bows & Arrows |
| 2015 | "Seneca Square Dance" | Ron Block featuring Sierra Hull | Hogan's House of Music |
| 2017 | "They Call The Wind Maria" | Bobby Osborne featuring Alison Brown, Sierra Hull & Stuart Duncan | Original |
| "Country Boy" | |||
| "Kentucky Morning" | Bobby Osborne featuring Dale Ann Bradley, Darrell Scott, Rob Ickes, Sierra Hull & Stuart Duncan | ||
| "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" | Bobby Osborne featuring Alison Brown, Claire Lynch, Rob Ickes, Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan & Trey Hensley | ||
| 2017 | "Roanoke" | David Naiditch featuring Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull & Jake Workman | Bluegrass That Swings |
| "Back Home Again in Indiana" | |||
| "East Tennessee Blues" | |||
| "All of Me" | |||
| "Cattle in the Cane" | |||
| "Exactly Like You" | |||
| "Sweet Georgia Brown" | David Naiditch featuring Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Jake Workman & Rob Ickes | ||
| "Twinkle Little Star" | |||
| "Ookpik Waltz" | |||
| 2017 | "The Guitar" | Mac Wiseman featuring Sierra Hull & Justin Moses | I Sang the Song (Life of the Voice with a Heart) |
| 2017 | "I Need Thee Every Hour" | Shane Clark featuring Sierra Hull | The Hymn Awakening |
| 2017 | "Strong Hand of Love" | Sierra Hull | Treasure of the Broken Land: The Songs of Mark Heard |
| 2018 | "Swept Away" | Missy Raines featuring Alison Brown, Beck Buller, Molly Tuttle & Sierra Hull | Swept Away |
| 2018 | "Merlefest Mando Mania" | Tony Williamson featuring Sam Bush & Sierra Hull with Rebecca Lovell, Mike Compton, Darin Aldridge, Tim O'Brien, James Nash, Tom Rozum & Barry Mitterhoff | Heritage |
| 2022 | "Over the Line" | Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway featuring Sierra Hull | Crooked Tree |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Easy Come, Easy Go"[28] | David McClister |
| "Someone Like You"[29] | Brad Paul | |
| "Chasin' Skies"[30] | ||
| "Tell Me Tomorrow"[31] | ||
| "Daybreak"[32] | David McClister | |
| 2016 | "Black River" |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Association | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | IBMA Awards | Recorded Event of the Year (with various artists) | "Proud To Be A Daughter of Bluegrass" | Won |
| 2016 | Mandolin Player of the Year | Sierra Hull | Won | |
| 2017 | Won | |||
| Recorded Event of the Year (with Bobby Osborne and various artists) |
"I've Gotta Get a Message to You" | Won | ||
| Grammy Awards | Best Folk Album | Weighted Mind | Nominated | |
| 2018 | IBMA Awards | Mandolin Player of the Year | Sierra Hull | Won |
| Recorded Event of the Year
(with Missy Raines, Alison Brown, Becky Buller, and Molly Tuttle) |
"Swept Away" | Won | ||
| 2021 | IBMA Awards | Mandolin Player of the Year | Sierra Hull | Won |
| 2022 | IBMA Awards | Mandolin Player of the Year | Sierra Hull | Won |
| 2023 | IBMA Awards | Mandolin Player of the Year | Sierra Hull | Won |
References
edit- ^ Dickinson, Chrissie (February 18, 2016). "How bluegrass prodigy Sierra Hull turned frustration into inspiration". chicagotribune.com.
- ^ "Sierra Hull, Takes a Weight Off Her Mind". Bluegrass Unlimited. May 1, 2016.
- ^ "Daybreak by Sierra Hull" – via music.apple.com.
- ^ "Sierra Hull w/ Opener Phoebe Hunt at City Winery". Back Bay, MA Patch. January 26, 2018.
- ^ Group, Bill Livick Unified Newspaper (February 21, 2017). "Singer-songwriter Hull to perform March 4". Unified Newspaper Group.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Sierra Hull". LR Baggs.
- ^ Ledgin, Stephanie (2004). Homegrown Music: Discovering Bluegrass. Praeger. p. 116. ISBN 978-0275981150.
- ^ Steve Leggett, "Sierra Hull Biography", Billboard.com, retrieved March 15, 2011
- ^ Secrets - Billboard.com, retrieved March 15, 2011
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (March 9, 2011), "Music Review – New York Times", The New York Times, retrieved March 15, 2011
- ^ Berklee Media Relations, "2009–2010 Presidential Scholars", Berklee College of Music website, retrieved March 15, 2011
- ^ Edward Morris, "Teen Sierra Hull Is Turning Heads", CMT.com, archived from the original on October 1, 2008, retrieved March 15, 2011
- ^ Steve Leggett, "Sierra Hull," Allmusic. Retrieved: March 1, 2013.
- ^ John Lawless, "Sierra Hull, reporting from the White House," Bluegrass Today, November 30, 2011.
- ^ David McGee, "The Latest Gifted Hull", The Bluegrass Special, retrieved March 15, 2011
- ^ "IBMA official website". 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ "Bluegrass Heritage Foundation official website". 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- ^ "Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, Strings, newsletter of the Pineridge Bluegrass Folklore Society, October 2005
- ^ "Cory Wong Announces Two-Part Collaborative Tour with Sierra Hull, Victor Wooten and More". Relix Media. August 2, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Big Virginia Sky releases debut, self-titled album!". Big Virginia Sky. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ^ "Mandolin Cafe – Sierra Hull – The Weighted Mind Interview". Mandolin Cafe Forum. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "Review: Sierra Hull, 'Weighted Mind'". NPR.org. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Lewis, Liam (March 12, 2020). "Review: Sierra Hull – 25 Trips". Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ Lawless, John (June 2, 2017). "Congratulations Sierra and Justin!". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ^ "Sierra Hull sets record straight about her name and that ring". Tahoe Onstage. May 4, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- ^ "Sierra Hull Album & Song Chart History | Billboard.com". Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "Sierra Hull Album & Song Chart History | Billboard.com". Retrieved February 9, 2016.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Sierra Hull: Easy Come, Easy Go". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Sierra Hull: Someone Like You". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Sierra Hull: Chasin' Skies". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Sierra Hull: Tell Me Tomorrow". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on October 9, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Sierra Hull: Daybreak". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
External links
edit- Official website
- Sierra Hull discography at MusicBrainz