Parker Milsap

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

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Parker Millsap On Covering Sly Stone & Why He Loves Living In Nashville | Newport Folk 2019

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"When you think of Nashville you think of country music, but it's everything," the singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist told the Recording Academy at Newport Folk Festival
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Jul 28, 2019 - 10:08 am

Oklahoma-born roots-rock performer Parker Millsap has been making a name for himself for years now, ever since the release of his debut album, Palisade, in 2012.

Still riding the wave of his third record, 2018's Other Arrangements, Millsap stopped by Newport Folk Festival 2019 to play a set, which included an electrifying cover of Sly Stone's "Everyday People." 

"Amazon actually approached us to do the series they have called 'Amazon Originals' where they have people do cover songs," Millsap told the Recording Academy about the cover's origins "I really wanted to do a Sly Stone song 'cause I listen to a ton of Sly Stone. 'Everyday People' seemed like one I could get away with that people also knew, that everybody can sing along to. We hadn't played it live until we recorded it. And afterwards we were like, we should start playing this live. And people love it!"

Jul 28, 2019 – 9:49 am

Parker Millsap Talks Covering Sly Stone

The multi-instrumentalist also went deep on why he loves living in The Music City of Nashville, noting how genre-diverse its residents really are. (I.e., Nashville isn't just about country music.)

"I didn't realize how many musicians live in Nashville till I got there," he says. "When you think of Nashville you think of country music, but it's everything, man. Like, last night I met four people who live within a mile of me, and they're all musicians. I didn't realize the density of really talented and creative people [in Nashville]... That's my favorite thing about Nashville—the country people, the rock people, the metal people, the jazz people, the bluegrass cats, we all know the same people. We all have the same friends. It makes the world feel smaller."

Backstage At Newport Folk Festival's 60th Anniversary

Lukas Nelson And Promise Of The Real 

Photo by: Daniel Mendoza / The Recording Academy

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Lukas Nelson And Promise Of The Real Want To Honor Their Music Heroes | Newport Fest 2019

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At Newport Folk Fest 2019, Lukas Nelson and Promise Of The Real hung out to tell us about the meaning and purpose behind ‘Turn Off The News (And Build A Garden), the single “Bad Case” and why they’re inspired by the trajectory and music of the Band
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Jul 28, 2019 - 1:39 pm

Lukas Nelson, son of country legend Willie Nelson and frontman of Lukas Nelson And The Promise Of The Real, has had quite an eventful last few years. In addition to contributing a substantial amount to the A Star Is Born soundtrack, the country/soul performer is currently promoting his band's fifth studio album, Turn Off The News (Build a Garden).

Stopping by at Newport Folk Festival 2019 to chat with the Recording Academy, Nelson dropped a few words of wisdom about just that—turning off the news—and honoring legacy acts that came before him. "The idea of "Turn Off The News, Build A Garden" is [about] putting down your device and going out and get connected and be part of your community and doing something about the world that you live in with the world that you live in," Nelson explained.

Jul 28, 2019 – 1:14 pm

Lukas Nelson Talks Soundtracking 'A Star Is Born'

 
He also commented on how his father's legacy gave his band a leg up in the industry and drew comparisons to the way Bob Dylan collaborated with The Band in the '60s. "[Bob] Dylan brought The Band into the national spotlight and you could argue that Neil Young has done the same for this band," he said. "We've sort of found our sound and are continuing to find our sound based on our love for our heroes, but then also branching out. We did that whole soundtrack of A Star Is Born, and I'm proud of this band for that."

Finally, Nelson continued to drop pearls of wisdom, touching on how today's popular acts would do well to honor their influences. "It's the tradition of respecting what came before that I think this festival obviously is a big proponent of," he said. In this record at least, we'd like to give a lot of tribute to our heroes. I think that's what we stand for... As we grow as artists and musicians, that's really important to me, is respecting what comes before."

Yola Ascends To 'Walk Through Fire' & Become The Queen Of Country Soul | Newport Folk 2019

Amy Ray

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/The Recording Academy

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Amy Ray Talks New Indigo Girls Music & Achieving Equality In The Music Industry | Newport Folk 2019

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"[Newport] s probably 50% women performers; that's a big deal. That's not happening at Bonnaroo and Coachella and all these other festivals, and it needs to happen everywhere," the contemporary folk figurehead tells the Recording Academy
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Jul 28, 2019 - 12:10 pm

Amy Ray has a long history with Newport Folk Festival. In addition to attending the fest with her family as a kid, the singer and solo artist played Newport a number of times with her GRAMMY-winning contemporary folk band, Indigo Girls, in the '90s. 

Nowadays, Ray has six solo albums under her belt, including her most recent release, 2018's Holler, and she's playing Newport for the first time under her own name. The revered artist sat down with the Recording Academy on-site at Newport to talk about her admiration for the fest, new Indigo Girls music out early next year, what it was like to meet Bob Dylan at the GRAMMYs and what we have left to do in terms of achieving true equality in the music industry.  

Jul 28, 2019 – 11:29 am

Amy Ray Talks New Indigo Girls Music

Is this your first Newport?

Yeah, with Indigo Girls I played here about 10 times, probably, in the '90s.

Is it first with the Amy Ray Band, though?

Yeah, yeah. First time. We're green.

What makes this festival special for you?

Just being around all the other artists, honestly, the community vibe, meeting new people, and doing collaborations. It's a very engaging event so you leave feeling inspired by writers that you meet and people that maybe have been around forever.

For me, because we played back in the '90s so much, The Indigo Girls did. We did a long stretch of probably like eight years in a row at one point. Some of the older people that are here working security and crew, I knew them from then and that's cool to me. So, there's a continuation and a thread. I like that. It's all volunteers and there's a lot of people working here that are young 18 year olds, all the way to people that are in their 70s.

It's kind of a family environment.

Yeah, my family used to always come here with me, my mom and dad and my siblings. Last time I was here, my dad was alive and he's not alive anymore and it's cool to remember him and how he was very into music. It was always great to be here with them.

You mentioned meeting other artists and collaborators, and one thing that struck me about about your latest solo album, Holler, was that you had a lot of great guests.

I got lucky, to be honest. Well, my band is great. We had Kofi Burbridge from Tedeschi Trucks, who is passed away now, but he came in and played keys for the record and was part of the band for a couple of weeks. He's a good friend and that was a treasure to have had that experience with him. Now he's gone, but he was a great man.

Alison Brown came in and played banjo. She's a virtuoso. I had the Wood Brothers, Vince Gill, Brandi Carlile, Ruth May Harris, Justin Vernon, Phil Cook. People did me favors. I just can't believe they would be willing to [do that] kind of thing. 

It's been 30 years since the Indigos won their first GRAMMY. What do you remember about that moment for you to be recognized in that way?

We were so excited. Honestly, just being at the GRAMMYs was enough for us. Winning was like icing on the cake, but just getting to go. I met Bob Dylan. I met Flava Flav. I was sitting next to, I think, Patrick Stewart. Jean Luc Picard was sitting behind me. I was like, "This is crazy." Judy Collins was there. I was sitting at a table and I had on this hat, and Judy Collins had a similar hat on. Dylan leaned over and goes, "Judy, is that you?" I'll never forget that because I was like, "No. My name's Amy. I'm in a band called the Indigo Girls." He just goes, "Oh, yeah. Okay." And he walked away.

What's next for you in your band? You've got six solo albums now. Are you working on new music?

Indigo Girls are getting ready to put a record out in January or February. We have a record coming out that we're just about to finish mixing and master. My band and I, at this point, we've got like five more shows to play and then I'll go do some stuff with Indigos and I'll just go back and forth kind of between the two.

We just had The Highwomen in here and we were talking about gender equality in music. You've been playing in this industry for a long time, and I'm just curious if you're up for talking about what changes you've seen happen, and maybe what's left to be done in terms of achieving equality in the music industry.

There's a lot left to be done. There's a lot of progress though. Just this festival this, like Newport this year. It's probably 50% women performers. That's a big deal. That's not happening at Bonnaroo and Coachella and all these other festivals, and it needs to happen everywhere.

I think Brandy's doing a good job of pushing that and generally, she's doing a lot of different projects right now that push that agenda in a good way. That's important. I think we've come a long way, and I think people coming up, they have no concept of that kind of intolerance. They are going to be... We just need the old people to die off, honestly. Even me. We need to go away. I just mean the people that have old ideas, who are the gatekeepers still, some of them. They need to get out of the way for all the new people that have great ideas and are doing great things. There's still a lot of great old timers that were always open-minded that are good mentors and we need to honor them. There's a lot of work to do still. We still have a lot of racism to deal with. I think sexism and homophobia are one thing. I think racism is even harder. That's my feeling about it.

Backstage At Newport Folk Festival's 60th Anniversary

Our Native Daughters

(L-R) Rhiannon GIddens,Allison Russell, Leyla McCalla, Amythyst Kiah
Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

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Backstage At Newport Folk Festival's 60th Anniversary

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Find out who stopped by to see us behind-the-scenes of one of the most legendary music festivals of any genre or era, Newport Folk
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 27, 2019 - 9:16 am

Walk backstage with the Recording Academy at the 60th anniversary Newport Folk Festival in Newport, R.I., this weekend, as we take you inside Fort Adams for exclusive interviews and coverage of the 60th anniversary of the historic festival. From the Queen of Country Soul to the leader of Promise Of The Real, find out which artists came through to discuss music, life, culture what makes this community-driven festival feel like home.

*All photos by Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy unless otherwise noted

GRAMMY-winning folk icon Judy Collins stopped by to chat about the first time she attended Newport Folk in 1963, rubbing shoulders with Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, what the fest means to her and more - read the full interview here.

Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith said hello and posed for some portraits after delivering a special 10th anniversary set of their entire (and incredible) 2009 album North Hills on the Quad Stage.

Hayley Heynderickx and her band brightened up our day backstage, posing for portraits and talking about her debut album, I Need To Start A Garden. 

Kenya-born, Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter J.S. Ondara swung by to talk about what Newport Folk means to him, his prolific songwriting habits and more.

Colombia joropo group Cimarrón treated us to an unforgettable impromtu performance backstage. Be sure to spin up their latest album, Orinoco.

Colorado-based singer/songwriter Gregory Alan Isokov hung out after his set on the Fort Stage to pose for some photos and talk everything from touring to farming to songwring and more.

Three-fourths of The Highwomen stopped by to talk about their bold and beautiful two singles "Redesigning Women" and "Crowded Table," their message of inclusivity and their upcoming full-length album, out Sept. 6. 

The Nude Party came by to snap a few shots with the historic Fort Adams as the backdrop. Check out the North Carolina rock outfit's 2018 self-titled debut and catch them on the road and at festivals this summer. 

California-born, Nashville-based bluegrass master Molly Tuttle spent some time with us to talk about her debut album When You're Ready, her International Bluegrass Music Awards win and nominations, mental health and more.

Yola graced us with her infectious energy and opened up about her breakout album Walk Through Fire, working with Dan Auerbach and what it means to her to be the Queen of Country Soul.

Photo: Doublas Mason/Wireimage

Saturday's big suprise appearance did not dissappoint! The one-and-only Dolly Parton joined a female collaboration to remember, providing the biggest surprise of the weekend.

Lukas Nelson and Promise Of The Real hung out to tell us about the meaning and purpose behind Turn Off The News (And Build A Garden), the single "Bad Case," and why they’re inspired by the trajectory and music of The Band. 

Adia Victoria came through after her riveting set on the Fort Stage to discuss the meaning behind her stellar album, Silences.

Yola joined The Highwomen on stage to close out Friday night on the Quad Stage with an all-voices-on-deck sing-along of "Redesigning Women," one of the many special Newport moments. 

Moments before he delivered for a guest-heavy show-stealing performance, soulful singer/songwriter Hozier sat down with us to talk about his latest album, Wasteland, Baby!, Newport's magic and what he had up his sleeve for the afternoon set on the Fort Stage.

Devon Gilfillian gave a memorable performance on the Fort Stage, kicking off Saturday with energy and soul. We caught up with him afterwards to talk about his big hit "Troublemaker" and what he's got planned for us next. 

Photo: Nate Hertweck/Recording Academy

We spoke with the incomparabe Todd Snider about his new album, Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3, just before his set before a packed house on the Harbor Stage - read the exclusive interview here.

Ohio trio CAAMP swung by to talk about their album By & By, which dropped the same day as their Newport appearance, and discuss the global message of love behind its single "Wunderbar."

Madison Cunningham discussed her forthcoming album, Who Are You Now, a different kind of love song with "Different Kind Of Love," and the courage it took to cover Joni Mitchell.

Ruston Kelly swept through the fort with a smile, talked touring, writing and the process of making his introspective masterpiece Dying Star.

Rhiannon Giddens, Allison Russell, Leyla McCalla and Amethyst Kiah of Our Native Daughters sat down to discuss their incredible new collaborative project Songs Of Our Native Daughters and what it meant to cap their debut run of shows at Newport Folk. Read the full interview here.

Matthew Houck, a.k.a. Phosphorescent, came through to take some pictures and talk about what will follow his 2018 album C'est La Vie.

Amy Ray came through to talk all things Amy Ray Band, including her latest album HOLLER, plus future Indigo Girls plans, GRAMMY history and more.

Charley Crockett was dressed to the nines in a brand-new custom suit backstage at Newport to talk about playing The Valley, his upcoming album recorded just before his life-saving heart surgery.

Photo: Douglas Mason/WireImage

Maggie Rogers wowed the crowd at Newport, tearing up the Fort Stage with songs from her 2019 debut album, Heard It In A Past Life.

Bluegrass badboy Billy Strings went deep with us on the details behind his forthcoming album, HOME, what it means to take care of yourself on the road and more.

A fresh new supergroup played just their fifth or sixth show at Newport Folk, Bonny Light Horseman featuring Josh Kaufman, Eric Johnson and Anias Mitchell. We spend some time talking with the trio to hear how they dreamed up this new collaboration and find out what's next. Stay tuned for the full interview!

New Englanders The Ballroom Thieves sat down to talk about the kindness and gratitude that makes Newport special, how music can have a social impact and songwriting on the road.

Well-dressed Nashville singer/songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan chatted with us about the influence of songwriter like John Prine and Todd Snider, sharing the bill with Cheap Trick, rehearsing and touring. 

Liz Cooper, leader of Liz Cooper & the Stampede, sat down with us to discuss her band's latest live EP, Live In Chicago, including what the windy city has meant to her career, life on the road and more.

Nashville singer/songwriter Parker Milsap dropped in after his set to reveal how his electrifying cover of Sly Stone’s “Everyday People” came to be and relay his thoughts and feelings about playing at such an historic folk festival.

Erin Rae

Another Nashville singer/songwriter creating a big buzz, Erin Rae said hello and answered some questions about her new album Putting On Airs, how she got connected with John Paul White and more. Check out her interview here.

The O'My's stopped by to dish about their Above Ground EP, collaborating with Chance The Rapper and what's in-store next for the Chicago outfit.

Experimental rock duo Illiterate Light paid us a visit to talk about their unique stage setup and snap a few pics.

Australia's Angie McMahon made a sparkling appearance in our backstage portrait studio. Check out our exclusive interview with her all about her incredible new album Salt, which just dropped on Friday.

Legendary Gov't Mule frontman Warren Haynes paid us a visit to talk about playing Newport Folk in the past with the Allman Brothers Band and his special acoustic set this year’s fest. 

After starting Sunday off right with a groove-packed set on the Fort stage, Stephen Marley and Jo Mersa Marley stopped by to snap a few pics.

The hilarious and talented Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids posed for some pics and talked about their "Sad Songs Comedy Hour," what it's felt like to be nominated for GRAMMY Awards and more.

British singer/songwriter Nilüfer Yanya talked with us about the inspiration behind her album Miss Universe, and took a moment to pose for our camera in the portrait studio.

Rayland Baxter shared the touching story behind his new tribute to Mac Miller, Good Mmornin, and told about his experience at Newport Folk.

Go Behind The Scenes Of ESSENCE Fest's 25th Anniversary: Party With A Purpose

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GRAMMY Rewind Returns With History-Making Performances, Acceptance Speeches & More

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Diving into the archives, GRAMMY Rewind presents a series of classic and beloved GRAMMY performances and acceptance speeches, starting with Willie Nelson performing "Always On My Mind" at the 25th GRAMMY Awards
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Aug 30, 2019 - 10:20 am

It won't be long before GRAMMY season is upon us, and to celebrate, we're taking you into the archives where some of our most classic and beloved GRAMMY performances (and acceptance speeches!) reside. 

To kick things off, outlaw country hero Willie Nelson performs his '82 gem "Always On My Mind" at the 25th GRAMMY Awards in 1983. Nelson won the Best Country Vocal Performance (Male) GRAMMY for "Always On My Mind" that year. Check out his performance below. 

Aug 30, 2019 – 10:19 am

Willie Nelson Performs "Always On My Mind" In 1983

Other upcoming GRAMMY Rewind editions offer performances from pop titan Cyndi Lauper performing "Time After Time" at the 27th GRAMMY Awards, Mariah Carey performing "Vision Of Love" at the 33rd GRAMMY Awards and much more. 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and visit our video page to watch each GRAMMY Rewind episode, along with other exclusive content, as it's released.

ReImagined Returns With More Exclusive & Unexpected Cover Performances All Summer Long