Sister Sadie is an all-female American bluegrass, country, and folk band that formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2012.
The band formed after the five original members Deanie Richardson, Tina Adair, Dale Ann Bradley, Gena Britt, and Beth Lawrence came together to play one show at the Station Inn in Nashville.
Since 2020, they have gone through a few lineup changes and the current band consists of: Deanie Richardson, Gena Britt, Jaelee Roberts, Dani Flowers, and Maddie Dalton.
[1] Longtime friends Deanie Richardson, Tina Adair, Dale Ann Bradley, Gena Britt, and Beth Lawrence were already established musicians and members of the bluegrass scene with their own musical projects.
[7] Singer and guitarist Dale Ann Bradley is a five-time IBMA “Female Vocalist of the Year” winner as well as a member of the Kentucky Hall of Fame.
[1] Richardson said, “We’ve known each other our whole lives, and it was just a magical thing from the first downbeat at rehearsal, before we even went up there.”[2] After their first gig, the group received calls to play more shows and eventually decided to come together as a band, albeit a side project.
[8] The twelve-song album consists of a combination of covers and originals, with four of the five members taking turns singing lead on the tracks.
The single “Unholy Water” was written by Richardson and Bill Tennyson and is sung by Bradley from the perspective of a jug of moonshine.
[9] In June 2018 Sister Sadie released the first single from their new album called “Losing You Blues”, which debuted at #14 on the Bluegrass Today Airplay charts.
[10] A month later, on August 24, 2018 the group released their second full length album on Pinecastle Records, Sister Sadie II.
The songs vary in style from country to bluegrass and feature Sister Sadie’s trademark three-part harmonies.
[6][1][13] That spring, they made their debut at the Grand Ole Opry and received a standing ovation when they performed “900 Miles.”[14] In March 2019, Lawrence departed the band and Hasee Ciaccio became on-call bassist.
[16] Sister Sadie’s display contained instruments from each of the band members, posters, set lists, and other mementos.
Richardson heard Cam perform the song at the Grand Ole Opry while she was playing in the house band and she liked it so much that she decided to bring it to Sister Sadie.
For Dalton, working on the latest Sister Sadie album was her first experience playing the bass in a professional setting.
[21] “Willow” was co-written by Ashley McBryde and features guest performers Tristan Scroggins on mandolin, Seth Taylor on guitar, and Tony Creasman on drums.
It also contains electric guitar, piano, drums, and a B-3 organ while still showcasing the three-part harmonies Sister Sadie has come to be known for.
[1] Sister Sadie is generally considered a bluegrass band but their music doesn’t necessarily stick to one genre.
[1] Each member of Sister Sadie is a songwriter and they all contribute to writing, arranging, playing, and singing the songs on their albums.
"[3] The Grammy Awards are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry.