The Secret Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Secret Sisters are a new-age traditional Country music
duo, consisting of vocalists Laura and Lydia Rogers, signed to Universal Republic/Beladroit Records. Their 1950s-inspired musical style has been described as "a guileless, rapturous mixture of rootsified pop". The critically acclaimed duo's music has been compared to artists like The Everly Brothers
and Doc Watson
.
. With a love for music coming from both sides of their family (their grandfather and his brothers forged a group called The Happy Valley Boys), the barely twenty-somethings share a familial camaraderie in their recordings and on stage. Growing up with a zeal for country music provided the sisters with a knowledgeable classic repertoire that they bring into the studio and showcase on their self-titled debut album. They grew up singing songs with their family by Country music artists such as Don Williams
. The girls first learned to harmonize classic gems by The Everly Brothers, Doc Watson, and others at annual family picnics. They also credit growing up in The Church of Christ and their home congregation in Alabama for encouraging a cappella singing, while acknowledging their nurturing Alabama background that seems to be illustrated in their music. Laura and Lydia never considered a singing career as a duo. Laura went to Middle Tennessee State University
to pursue a career in business, while Lydia was considered the "real" singer of the family.
for an impromptu audition at Hotel Indigo
where music business representatives and producer Dave Cobb were present, looking to create a new singing group. Lydia couldn't make the audition, so Laura traveled by herself, where she auditioned with "Same Old You" by Brandi Carlile
. Representatives from the audition soon asked her to come back to Nashville, to which she asked if she could bring her sister Lydia along. Lydia showed up later and they were asked to sing together, resulting in the formation of The Secret Sisters. The girls were soon flown to Los Angeles, California
for their first time in the studio to record a couple of demos. For Laura, it was her first time in an airplane. The demos were produced and record companies began responding accordingly. Within weeks, they were assigned to Universal Republic
and the song selection process for their debut album began.
classic "Something Stupid". The album also includes two originals written by Laura Rogers: "Tennessee Me" and "Waste the Day". The album was recorded in two weeks at Blackbird studios. Their eleven-song debut was produced by Dave Cobb, who has worked with artists such as Waylon Jennings
and Jamey Johnson
, and also executive produced by Grammy Award
-winning T-Bone Burnett
. The Secret Sisters brought in studio musicians such as steel guitar player Robbie Turner and pianist Pig Robbins.Also included on the album
is a "cover" of the 60s rock song by then teenage singer Nancy Baron "I've got a Feeling", written by Wally Zober and C. Laverne. The album was also recorded with classic analog equipment, the way it would've been done in the 1950s, with no computers or digital equipment. The production team and the Sisters utilized vintage microphones and classic recording techniques, down to the same type of tape they would have used fifty years ago. The album was released October 12, 2010. Laura tried to describe the experience by expressing:
"In so many ways we are still the same kids who would perform songs in our parents' room, when we sang about silver threads and golden needles and cold-hearted snakes, and all that. Even with everything that's happened -- getting that dream chance to make our own album, I really believe we've just found where we're supposed to be."
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
duo, consisting of vocalists Laura and Lydia Rogers, signed to Universal Republic/Beladroit Records. Their 1950s-inspired musical style has been described as "a guileless, rapturous mixture of rootsified pop". The critically acclaimed duo's music has been compared to artists like The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
and Doc Watson
Doc Watson
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
.
Beginnings
Laura and Lydia Rogers are real-life sisters from Muscle Shoals, AlabamaMuscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...
. With a love for music coming from both sides of their family (their grandfather and his brothers forged a group called The Happy Valley Boys), the barely twenty-somethings share a familial camaraderie in their recordings and on stage. Growing up with a zeal for country music provided the sisters with a knowledgeable classic repertoire that they bring into the studio and showcase on their self-titled debut album. They grew up singing songs with their family by Country music artists such as Don Williams
Don Williams
Don Williams , is an American country singer, songwriter and a 2010 inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He grew up in Portland, Texas, and graduated in 1958 from Gregory-Portland High School. After seven years with the folk-pop group Pozo-Seco Singers, he began his solo career in 1971,...
. The girls first learned to harmonize classic gems by The Everly Brothers, Doc Watson, and others at annual family picnics. They also credit growing up in The Church of Christ and their home congregation in Alabama for encouraging a cappella singing, while acknowledging their nurturing Alabama background that seems to be illustrated in their music. Laura and Lydia never considered a singing career as a duo. Laura went to Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University, commonly abbreviated as MTSU, is a public university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States....
to pursue a career in business, while Lydia was considered the "real" singer of the family.
2010: Discovery
Laura traveled to Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
for an impromptu audition at Hotel Indigo
Hotel Indigo
Hotel Indigo is a chain of boutique hotels, part of the InterContinental Hotels Group. It is promoted as being "the industry’s first branded boutique hotel experience." The concept includes a retail-inspired design concept with changes throughout the year. Guestrooms feature murals, area rugs,...
where music business representatives and producer Dave Cobb were present, looking to create a new singing group. Lydia couldn't make the audition, so Laura traveled by herself, where she auditioned with "Same Old You" by Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile is an American singer and songwriter.-Early life:At age eight, Carlile performed a rendition of the country music song "Tennessee Flat Top Box" with her mother. She began to play the guitar and write songs at fifteen. At sixteen, she began to perform as a backup singer for an Elvis...
. Representatives from the audition soon asked her to come back to Nashville, to which she asked if she could bring her sister Lydia along. Lydia showed up later and they were asked to sing together, resulting in the formation of The Secret Sisters. The girls were soon flown to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
for their first time in the studio to record a couple of demos. For Laura, it was her first time in an airplane. The demos were produced and record companies began responding accordingly. Within weeks, they were assigned to Universal Republic
Universal Republic
Universal Republic Records is a record label, owned by Universal Music Group. It is based on the now-defunct Republic Records label founded by brothers Monte and Avery Lipman...
and the song selection process for their debut album began.
Debut album
Their self-titled debut album consists of ballads, originals, and cover songs such as "Why Don't Ya Love Me?", "Why Baby Why", and the Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
classic "Something Stupid". The album also includes two originals written by Laura Rogers: "Tennessee Me" and "Waste the Day". The album was recorded in two weeks at Blackbird studios. Their eleven-song debut was produced by Dave Cobb, who has worked with artists such as Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
and Jamey Johnson
Jamey Johnson
Jamey Johnson is an American Grammy Award nominated country music artist. Signed to BNA Records in 2005, Johnson made his debut with his single "The Dollar," the title track to his 2006 album The Dollar...
, and also executive produced by Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning T-Bone Burnett
T-Bone Burnett
Joseph Henry Burnett , widely known as T-Bone Burnett, is an American musician, songwriter, and soundtrack and record producer.He was a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band on the Rolling Thunder Revue...
. The Secret Sisters brought in studio musicians such as steel guitar player Robbie Turner and pianist Pig Robbins.Also included on the album
is a "cover" of the 60s rock song by then teenage singer Nancy Baron "I've got a Feeling", written by Wally Zober and C. Laverne. The album was also recorded with classic analog equipment, the way it would've been done in the 1950s, with no computers or digital equipment. The production team and the Sisters utilized vintage microphones and classic recording techniques, down to the same type of tape they would have used fifty years ago. The album was released October 12, 2010. Laura tried to describe the experience by expressing:
"In so many ways we are still the same kids who would perform songs in our parents' room, when we sang about silver threads and golden needles and cold-hearted snakes, and all that. Even with everything that's happened -- getting that dream chance to make our own album, I really believe we've just found where we're supposed to be."
Track listing
- "Tennessee Me" – 2:28
- "Why Baby Why" – 2:29
- "The One I Love Is Gone" – 3:25
- "My Heart Skips a Beat" – 2:22
- "Something Stupid" – 2:42
- "I've Got a Feeling" – 2:25
- "Do You Love an Apple" – 2:44
- "All About You" – 2:58
- "Waste the Day" – 2:35
- "Why Don't You Love Me" – 2:19
- "House of Gold" – 2:57
Albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
||
| The Secret Sisters |
|
27 | 200 | 29 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "I've Got a Feeling" | The Secret Sisters |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Tennessee Me" | David McClister |
Television appearances
- Hootenanny, BBC TelevisionBBC TelevisionBBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
, New Years Eve 2010