Shelby Means To Release New Single Farm Girl.
Shelby Means, songwriter, singer, and prolific bassist, has spent the majority of her career careening down highways on tour with world-class string bands like Della Mae and the Grammy-winning Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway. With her upcoming self-titled solo debut, Means hosts a friends and neighbours jam session for the ages.
I always knew I wanted my first solo album to be bluegrass. I never left bluegrass. I certainly have explored other styles, but I kept dreaming of my time in Nashville and how I love to host jam sessions and invite my friends and neighbours – Shelby Means.
With Della Mae, Golden Highway, Sally & George, and her countless other projects and gigs, Means has ended up meeting and establishing connections and relationships with just about everyone in bluegrass music, and they’re all invited to her soiree. Bryan Sutton, who plays guitar on Shelby’s album produced an album for Della Mae; producer Maya de Vitry happened to produce Means’ husband Joel Timmons’ album. He’s also in de Vitry’s band; Jerry Douglas produced for Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway on both Crooked Tree and City of Gold.
Means’ brother, Jacob, plays mandolin on a couple selections; Golden Highway’s Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Kyle Tuttle, and Molly Tuttle herself each make appearances; there’s also Sam Grisman, Ronnie McCoury, Billy Strings, Michael Cleveland, Tim O’Brien, and more. Plus, stalwart friends from her Nashville years—folks like Rachel Baiman, Kelsey Waldon, and Billy Contreras—are all over the self-titled debut.
I always knew I wanted my first solo album to be bluegrass – Shelby Means.
Of course, all of the camaraderie is made possible by Means’s dynamic material, bluegrass bangers, heartful lyrics, and hilarious romps and her bright, confident, and decidedly country voice, but there’s also a particular set of skills and influences at play in gathering such a crowd; a striking professionalism developed over the course of her accomplished career.
Shelby holds sway over whatever band she’s in. When she has an idea, I listen. She knows what she wants, and she’s good at explaining it, so we can do a lot more playing than talking – Jerry Douglas.
Originally written by Means’ husband, Joel Timmons, and Mack Leaphart, Farm Girl got a plot twist for this release. “When Means was looking for songs to put on my record, she decided to sing lead and make it a farm girl fantasy. Means, whose side of the story comes from growing up in Wyoming, working on a ranch, driving a tractor, and branding cattle. Tapping some of her oldest gal pals in Nashville, Means turned the chorus into a call and response with old friends Kelsey Waldon and Rachel Baiman. Bryan Sutton (guitar), Ron Block (banjo), Jerry Douglas (Dobro), Sam Bush (mandolin), and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (fiddle) round out the band for this knee-slapping, toe-tapping romp through the pasture.
Fans can stream or purchase Farm Girl here., check out Means’s previously-released singles, Streets of Boulder and Million Reasons, and pre-order Shelby Means ahead of its May 30th release right here. To pre-save the album on Spotify, click here.
About Shelby Means:
Born in the bluegrass of Kentucky and raised on Wyoming’s high plains, Shelby Means is one of the foremost bassists in bluegrass, with nearly two decades of experience in bluegrass, folk, rock, Americana, and country outfits. Now based in Charleston, SC, during her tenure in Nashville, she was a member of the Grammy nominated, incredibly impactful, distaff bluegrass band, Della Mae. Throughout her career, she has traveled to nearly 30 countries around the world spreading musical diplomacy.
Means is also one half of roots duo Sally & George with her husband and collaborator, Sol Driven Train’s Joel Timmons. With Timmons, Mary Lucey, and Billy Cardine, she co-founded another group, Lover’s Leap, a genre-blurring, heart-led Americana band. Means is a member of Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, with whom she gained her first Grammy win for their 2023 album, City of Gold. She’s also received more than a handful of awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association for her work with Della Mae and Golden Highway.
Means is a driving player with a deep pocket, a singular stage presence, and a magnetic, centered approach to the upright bass. Beyond her work on the instrument, she’s also an accomplished songwriter and a heartfelt vocalist whose voice is rooted in tradition while authentically her own. With her debut solo music, slated for release in 2025, Means invites listeners to experience the same soulful presence and adventurous spirit she has built her career on. Her singing and playing have been heard across the country and around the world, from NPR’s airwaves, the Grand Ole Opry, Bonnaroo, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and Newport Folk to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Kazakhstan, Australia, and beyond.
