Tami Neilson
New Album NEON COWGIRL Out NOW on Outside Music. Featuring guests Ashley McBryde, Grace Bowers and Neil Finn
CATCH TAMI ON THE OUTLAW TOUR WITH WILLIE NELSON AND BOB DYLAN
Tami Neilson has been called a “fire-breathing R&B belter” (Rolling Stone) and a “full-tilt badass” (Saving Country Music), electrifying peers and fans worldwide with her powerful, emotive voice and riveting stage presence. Tami will release NEON COWGIRL, her hotly-anticipated follow up to Kingmaker, out now on Outside Musi. The first single, “You’re Gonna Fall,” pairs Tami with fellow retro rocker JD McPherson for a country noir song that calls to mind the classic ’60s Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood duets; it will be featured on an upcoming episode of the global TV hit The Brokenwood Mysteries, available on Acorn TV in the States. Other guests on the album include McPherson, Ashley McBryde, Grace Bowers, Shelley Fairchild and Neil Finn.
Now living in New Zealand with her family, the native Canadian grew up touring with her family band, The Neilsons. She still writes and tours with her brother and guitar player Jay Neilson, her closest collaborator. During the recording of NEON COWGIRL, Jay suffered a traumatic brain injury and was hospitalized in a coma. Tami was determined to record the songs they’d written together so he would have something to wake up to that would encourage him in his recovery and provide financial support, in addition to the fundraisers she continues to organize. Neon Cowgirl, recorded under these circumstances, was the product of determination and healing and the power of family.
“This album came rumbling to life on 6 wheels over the highways of North America. I wanted our children, born and raised in NZ, to get a taste of their Neilson family heritage — a 5-month pilgrimage from coast to coast and back again in a 36 foot RV. It was also my once-in-a-lifetime chance to really give it my all with my career, which I’d built slowly and steadily in small 2-3 week increments over a decade, running back and forth from the other side of the world. Then, only 2 months before our trip, I landed in the hospital for a month, battling for my life in ICU with sepsis. Our trip changed from one of me going full throttle to make a good dent in my career to one of recovery and slow healing. It became a time of embracing life fully and savoring the precious time with my family in a way one does only after a near-death experience. We zig-zagged across the country, from the ghostly halls of Graceland to the technicolor desert of Salvation Mountain, across neon graveyards in Las Vegas to driving alongside herds of buffalo in Montana. I collected the seeds for these songs in each place along the way. When they blossomed, there were crossbreeds of Presley and Patsy, Orbison and kd lang- the blues of Memphis, the twang of Texas, the cinematic torch of Judy Garland on a Hollywood soundstage. But, mostly, it became a love letter to my Neon Cowgirl. Or, more accurately, a lovelorn letter. Because she’ll just keep on breaking a foolish heart if you let her.” — Tami Neilson
Tami and her band joining Willie Nelson, and then Willie and Bob Dylan, on this year’s Outlaw Festival tour. She will also be playing Merlefest, Willie’s Fourth of July Picnic, and a few dates at The Grand Ole Opry. In June, Tami will hit Europe for shows in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Her huge, glorious voice and powerful live performances have won the admiration and support of some of country music’s biggest names and fans worldwide.
Check this space for tour dates
