Home, sweet home.
For those of us who have are far removed – by both time and distance – from the cities of our births, returning home can be just a far flung romantic notion.
But not for Chelle Rose, a noted singer/songwriter and native of Lenoir City, Tennessee. Rose, whose latest record, aptly titled Blue Ridge Blood, releases on Friday, recently bought the family homestead and relocated back to Lenoir City, after two decades in Nashville.
Rose’s physical return to the Blue Ridge is but an echo of her music, which has never strayed far from her mountain upbringing. Resonating in Rose’s catalog of fringe country is the hardscrabble grit and gravel of life in the Appalachians.
This month, Trail Mix features a Chelle Rose double dip: “Paintsville Table” is featured on the regular mix, and this very blog post includes the premiere of the the brand new track “Dammit Darlin.”
I had the chance to catch up with Chelle Rose to chat about coming home, leaving Nashville, and our premiere of “Dammit Darlin.”
BRO – Some folks talk about going home, but you really did it, having purchased your childhood home. What prompted the move and the purchase?
CR – Nanahally River, Ghost of Browder Holler, and Blue Ridge Blood all center around East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. It seems that the pull of the muse finally got me. Whether it’s the songs or the books, I feel myself falling deeper in love with writing. When I think about it, my writing reminds me that I never really left. This land has been in our family since 1919. We saved it from most likely being flattened and made into a parking lot, so preservation played a part in my decision as well.
BRO – Any trepidation with the move?
CR – We’re more excited than anything else. My son is 25 minutes away at the University of Tennessee and my daughter is loving sixth grade and making new friends. It is also wonderful to be close to my family and friends after twenty years in Nashville. My team and band are spread out from Los Angeles to Austin to Nashville, and I’ll still have my home in Nashville for a while, as well as a rehearsal space for the band.
BRO – We are premiering “Dammit Darlin” on this week’s blog post. What’s the story behind the song?
CR – It’s a Tennessee girl’s pinin’ for a blue-eyed mountain boy who was pinin’ for black-hearted girl from Ohio. He designed the ink on her right ankle . . . “drew your crown around my rose.” Made her jewelry from her favorite crystals but then went back to Miss Ohio, who pawned his heart, along with his ruby ring, like everybody knew she would.
BRO – In no particular order, list three things you’ll miss the most about Nashville.
CR – I keep trying to answer this question. But it is a stretch. I won’t miss Nashville. This is the best thing.
BRO – In five words or less . . . or more, if you need it . . . finish this sentence: “Lenoir City is home because . . . . “
CR – Home is where my loved ones are.
And here it is. The premiere of the brand new track, “Dammit Darlin,” from Chelle Rose’s new record, Blue Ridge Blood.
Chelle Rose’s tour calendar is relatively quiet right now. For more information on her tour schedule or to find out how you can grab a copy of Blue Ridge Blood, please check out her website.
Also, if you dug the premiere of “Dammit Darlin,” be sure to listen to “Paintsville Table” on this month’s Trail Mix.
