West Virginia · americana · old-time

Sierra Ferrell

1 upcoming festival

West Virginia's gilded-age songbird — old-time, calypso, and honky-tonk swirled into something timeless, delivered in vintage lace and total command.

Sierra Ferrell is a singer and songwriter from West Virginia whose music draws on old-time string band traditions, honky-tonk, western swing, gypsy jazz and calypso. She spent years busking and travelling, including time riding freight trains and playing on the street, before recording began to circulate online and led to a record deal with Rounder.

Her singing is marked by a pronounced vibrato and a phrasing style closer to prewar country and jazz vocalists than to contemporary Nashville. On stage she is usually backed by fiddle, upright bass and guitar, and performs in vintage-styled dress. Her recordings have brought her a following well beyond traditional bluegrass and old-time audiences.

americanaold-time