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‘Something Good’ From Nashville’s Ashley Monroe

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Young star, old soul, Ashley Monroe joins us from Nashville. She’s up for two Grammys. And onto something good.

In this file photo, Kip Moore, from left, Dierks Bentley and Ashley Monroe perform at ACM Presents Superstar Duets at Globe Life Park on Friday, April 17, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
In this file photo, Kip Moore, from left, Dierks Bentley and Ashley Monroe perform at ACM Presents Superstar Duets at Globe Life Park on Friday, April 17, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Ashley Monroe’s journey into country singing is not one of those LA transplant stories or an American Idol fairy tale. It was a car ride, from Knoxville to Nashville. And then, work. Hopes and dreams. Ups and downs. Big names, small clubs. In the Pistol Annies with Miranda Lambert. Out with Jack White. Now she’s up for two Grammys. For a duet with Blake Shelton and her own album, “The Blade.”  This hour On Point, young singer, old soul, Ashley Monroe.
-- Tom Ashbrook

Guest

Ashley Monroe, country music singer-songwriter. Nominated for two 2015 Grammy Awards, including Best Country Album for her album, "The Blade," and Best Country Duo / Group Performance. Also a member of the group the Pistol Annies. (@ashleymonroe)

From Tom’s Reading List

Spin: Ashley Monroe Is on a Winning Streak — "'I have hundreds [of songs] recorded,' she tells me. 'On Like a Rose, we were just going to make a six-song thing and then we just kept going. And this one, we had it cut down to 15, so two that I really, really loved didn’t get to make the record, but I think they’re going to be bonus tracks somewhere else. There’s definitely some gems back there, [where] if I don’t record them, it’d be nice if someone else did. If I quit writing one day, if I just can’t write anymore, I’ll have enough to make records forever.'"

Rolling Stone: Ashley Monroe: ‘It’s Hard for Me to Write a Happy Song’ -- "Monroe was born in Knoxville in 1986, although the depth and maturity of her songs certainly belie her years. At 13, she faced grown-up heartache when her father died of cancer. Still in her teens, she relocated to Nashville and soon signed a music publishing deal, followed by a developmental deal with RCA Records, then a full-fledged contract with Sony Music that yielded one project, the remarkable 2006 album, Satisfied, which would go unreleased until 2009."

NPR Music: Review: Ashley Monroe, 'The Blade' — "Monroe convincingly embodies many familiar perspectives on The Blade, while still offering fresh lyrical spins: She's the optimist who's through with obstacles (the peppy album-opener 'On To Something Good'), the cynic who itches to leave home behind ('Dixie'), the wanderer who can't help but leave emotional carnage in her wake ('I'm Good At Leavin''), the hard-bitten sinner with nowhere left to turn ('If The Devil Don't Want Me')."

Ashley Monroe Performs "Dixie"

Ashley Monroe Performs "IF The Devil Don't Want Me"

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This program aired on January 8, 2016.

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