Git Along Little Dogies…Suzy Bogguss Comes A-Courtin

She’s a guitar-totin’, banana-hatin’, sassy helluva gal with beauty and talent that shines brighter than a prairie sunrise, who just happens to also have a degree in metallurgy. With a penchant for blue martinis and bluegrass tunes, Suzy Bogguss is a frontier firebrand whose every show is a barn-raisin’ hootenanny from start to finish.

Bogguss is working on a fabulous new project that will once again fill hearts with the love and infectious joy of country rhythms with the future release of her latest slice of Americana, sure to set toes-a-tappin’ and folks-a-hoppin’ in a grand tribute to the nostalgic songs of the golden west.

Throughout 2009 and 2010, Bogguss has been compiling songs from her childhood and introducing them into her live shows, interspersing them with her own repertoire of original signature tunes. This has led her to rightfully believe that it is time that these songs should be given a fresh new lease on life, and in these troubled modern times, perhaps it is time that America (and the rest of the world) take a look back at a simpler era when lives were possibly less complicated and people treated one another better. In 2003, Martina McBride released a similar-themed album, Timeless which was an astounding success, so there is no reason why Bogguss’ album will be any less spectacular.

Bogguss states that “schools have moved away from teaching many of the “heritage” songs that were once taught as part of grade school music programs which have also often fallen prey to program cuts over time. We also hope [the album] will inspire a renewal of interest in this wonderful music penned in a simpler time but no less relevant today.

Bogguss will be unveiling Wildwood Flower: A Collection Of American Folk Songs due for tentative release in the Spring of 2011, the collection will also feature a hardcover companion book filled with sheet music and a comprehensive history of the songs. The album is only being offered for sale at the live shows in the United States and United Kingdom and currently only has 10 songs, but the mainstream release next year will feature at least 17 songs. Some of the songs include the irresistably bouncy “Froggy Went A-Courting” and “Git Along Little Dogies”, to the perennial favourites “Red River Valley” and  “Shenandoah” (most previously covered brilliantly by Gia Ciambotti on her delightful children’s/Americana songs hybrid album Snowflake.)

In the meantime, Brian Clough of The American Connection webcast series is offering Bogguss’ fans a sneak preview of several songs from the forthcoming album which was nominated as Album Of The Week during the Taste Of Country series of shows.

Whether touring with chums Gretchen Peters and Matraca Berg as part of the delightful Wine, Women And Song trio, or square dancin’ her way to solo stardom, Suzy Bogguss certainly deserves this glowing accolade from Brian Clough:

“From her first appearance at the Wembley International Festival of Country Music in London in the late eighties she has proved that she deserves a place in the great chanters league. With a voice as clear as a mountain stream she has provided us with a musical mix of traditional and modern country, crossover pop, blues, jazz, western swing and in the company of Chet Atkins some brilliant classic and contemporary songs. If you think you already know ‘the voice’… be it of any musical genre, treat yourself to a remarkable singer/songwriter who may change your mind forever. If you like a sprinkling of magic in your music, you will certainly not be disappointed after you’ve heard Suzy Bogguss.”