Hear Bela Fleck's 'Tennessee' Live Featuring Billy Strings
(KL) Bela Fleck has released a live take of the beloved bluegrass staple, "Tennessee," featuring Billy Strings, a standout on Fleck's upcoming album Live Heart: My Bluegrass Heart at the Ryman. The 3LP / 2CD set will be out October 16 (Bela Fleck Productions / Thirty Tigers).
"In my opinion, Bela Fleck is one of the most important musicians of all time," says Strings. "He bridges the gap between bluegrass, classical, jazz, world music, and everything in between. It seems like there's no limit to what he can achieve on the banjo."
"As a New York City kid who fell in love with Davy Crockett and had my own coonskin cap and fringe jacket, this song called out to me when I first heard Jimmy Martin's classic version" says Fleck. "I even moved to Tennessee and have lived there longer than my NYC days. There's an amazing sense of closure to playing it live with Billy Strings taking Jimmy's lead roll, and the top players in the biz bringing their talent and depth of understanding of bluegrass to the table."
On January 8, 2022, Bela Fleck and a multigenerational gang of musical heavy hitters came together at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to perform the songs they'd recorded together on his My Bluegrass Heart, which would shortly win the 2022 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album.
Sam Bush, Michael Cleveland, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Edgar Meyer, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton, Tony Trischka, and Molly Tuttle, and a sold out crowd arrived during a major East Coast blizzard.
"We somehow managed to take and own the stage that night," says Fleck, "My amazing peers, friends, and iconic performers really brought the fire-I'm very proud to bring you this fantastic live performance."
Fleck's My Bluegrass Heart band will be touring throughout 2026, including a special performance with Renee Fleming in support of their 2026 collaborative album, The Fiddle and the Drum. Fleming will be backed by Bela and the My Bluegrass Heart Band on December 3 at Carnegie Hall in New York City, with guest vocalist Aoife O'Donovan.
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