MP3 Amy England - Nantucket To Nashville

Captivating americana/country - sultry and sassy, sometimes in a dancehall honky-tonk, sometimes on a heartbreaking country back road, but always featuring her evocative voice and addictive songwriting.

10 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Americana, COUNTRY: Traditional Country



Details:
Singer-songwriter Amy England releases her new cd entitled "Nantucket to Nashvilleâ this summer. England recorded the new cd in Nashville last fall under the direction of multi-time Grammy winner Bil VornDick. VornDickâs projects read like a who's who of Nashville artists including Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, Ralph Stanley, Bela Fleck and some not so Nashville names like Bob Dylan, James Taylor and Bruce Hornsby. England met VornDick at the annual Folk Alliance conference in Austin Texas where he heard her play.

âOne of England's greatest strengthsâ, says Bil VornDick âis her exceptional songwriting. Depending on different album projects, I listen to hundreds if not thousands of songs, and her songs caught my ear.

VornDick lined up an all star band for England while she was in Nashville: Guitarists Johnny Hiland and flatpicker Russ Barenberg, known for his work with Bluegrass artist Jerry Douglas; Mark Fain on bass and Andy Leftwich on fiddle, both part of Ricky Skaggs band; and drummer Bob Mater, who plays with Nancy Griffith.

Producer Bil VornDick also helped England to get five songs from âNantucket to Nashvilleâ signed to prominent Nashville publisher Jim Denny. Denny is currently working to get the songs into the hands and ears of Country Billboard charting artists.

âBeing able to make this recording in Nashville with Bil was a dream come true. The musicians were great and we had a lot of fun making the cdâ says England. The ten songs on âNantucket to Nashvilleâ were recorded at Bil VornDickâs Mountainside Studios. The studio is complete with a dancehall ballroom harkening back the buildingâs former life as a popular roadhouse where artists from Patsy Cline to J.J. Cale performed and communed.

âIn one month I learned so much about music and Country music history. Even though I stayed pretty busy working â sometimes twelve hour days in the studio â I wrote a lot while I was there. Nashville is such a rich town, with warm beautiful countryside and amazing talent all around, itâs hard not to be inspired.â

England was born and raised in Pound Ridge, NY to a large family of six children. Her music and writing is steeped in family tradition. "Our dad brought us up on Country music. He was an editor who played banjo on the side and my mom was always playing the piano and singing. My grandma made sure we all had piano lessons; she was a great fiddle player herself. She loved us to be in touch with our Irish roots through music. My
great-grandfather founded Nolan's Marching Band, who were big in Brooklyn in the 1920's" England says. "We grew up with music around." England's brother, Andrew Hunt, also in Brooklyn, recently released his third cd, âBroken Wheelâ, on Rustic Records / Hayden's Ferry.

Roots Music Report, where Englandâs first cd âHeart Like Mineâ charted on the top 40 Folk chart, says, "It's interesting that a singer/songwriter of great talent would live on a small island. This folk singer guitarist finds a lot of great hooks around Nantucket but you don't have to live on an island to identify with Amy's words ... her stories are universal. England gives thanks on her cd to âNantucket Island, for the island people, the island spirit, for the summer splendor and even more for the little known beauty of the dream season.â âI owe a lot to the island,â says England, âitâs a great muse, and always provides new inspiration.â Bil VornDick adds âAmy's songs are like sitting on a beach with good friends, in front of a campfire.â

England has appeared on "H.U.A.C.: Hot Unsigned (& Unsung) Americana Compilation", released by the Nashville indie, Catamount Records and on Shut Eye Records, "United States of Americana" series. Her songs hit the top 100 Americana Music Association chart and the top 40 Roots Music Report.
England will be playing at several festivals this summer including Ossippee Bluegrass Festival where she is a finalist in the New England Songwriting Contest. She will be at NERFA this fall and the 2008 Folk Alliance in Memphis in February. Find out more at www.amyengland.net.