Sister Sadie

An impromptu performance about six years ago at the Station Inn in Nashville, TN, led to another of bluegrass music’s exciting mash-up of musicians. The part-time super group consists of five-time IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year and Grammy Nominated, Dale Ann Bradley, along with veteran Nashville powerhouse singer, Tina Adair, fiddle player; Deanie Richardson ((who’s worked with all kinds of artists like Patty Loveless, Vince Gill, and Bob Seger), hard-driving banjo player, Gena Britt (who’s played Lou Reid and Carolina, Alan Bibey & Grasstowne and more), and Beth Lawrence who is a widely known and sought after free-lance acoustic bass player in Nashville.

The ladies call themselves Sister Sadie, inspired by the Tony Rice song, “Little Sadie,” and the fact that they feel as though they are sisters. They felt the chemistry on stage right away, and apparently so did the audience. It wasn’t long after the sold out show that they began getting calls for gigs. They made it official, but also decided that each member would remain in their own band. Whenever time would allow, they would meet up and perform, which is currently about a dozen or so times a year, more heavily when they want to promote a new recording project, like their new, second CD, simply called, Sister Sadie II, on Pinecastle Records.

The ladies credit Ann Sawyers, who worked at the Station Inn before passing away recently, for having the idea of putting something like this together for a long time. “She contacted Gena initially to get it set up, and it went from there,” Dale Ann told us recently. “We sat down about five o’clock that evening to work up some songs, because we really didn’t know what we were going to play,” Gena said. “And from the first note we hit together we all just looked around like, ‘okay, here we go, this is pretty good.”

“It was quite magical,” Dale Ann added. “It really was.” “We still do that, every show. When we start to warm up, that first note, we all just look around at each other and agree, that’s good!”

To find out more, visit
www.sistersadieband.com