Exclusive Premiere: Mary Bragg - "Bayou Lullaby"

The video for Mary Bragg's new single, from the Nashville-based artist's latest record Lucky Strike, makes it's world premiere exclusively here!

We're proud to partner with Mary Bragg for the release of the music video for "Bayou Lullaby," from her just-released album Lucky Strike, for you to view. The song showcases the empowering style from which Mary Bragg envelops. The songs on Lucky Strike often touch on coming of age and life in a big family and a small town. Below is a Q&A with Mary Bragg about the song and album.

RS: What was the inspiration for this song? What prompted you to write it?

Mary: Every Tuesday, I write with Becky Warren - and given the regularity, we cover a lot of topics. "Bayou Lullaby" crept out of my subconscious as Becky and I attempted to write the story of a household where questioning things isn't welcome, where doing what you're told is a way of life, where people do bad things and in this case - almost get away with it.

RS: You've got a bit of a Rosanne Cash/Shelby Lynne swagger about you, especially on this song. Who are your biggest influences?

Mary: Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin, Sam Cooke, Rufus Wainwright.

RS: This song has a very swampy vibe, which, given the title, seems pretty intentional. What kind of a sonic tale did you want this song to tell?

Mary: I wanted the recorded sonic quality of the song to match the emotional quality of the song - haunting yet realistic - daring yet honest. It's one part Flannery O'Connor, one part John Berendt.

RS: This is the first song on your new album. What made you choose it to kick off the record?

Mary: The opening song of a record is an indication of what will follow; I wanted this song to open because of its introspection, storytelling strength, and inviting vibe.

RS: Tell us about making this video. What made you want to have this clip be a straight-up performance of the song? Did the folks in the video also perform on the album version?

Mary: Trace Horse Studio invited me to come in for a live performance video after I met them at the Richmond International Film/Music Festival a few months ago. They encouraged me to choose a song to play that best represented the record and I felt like "Bayou Lullaby" does just that. We had a great time filming - it was super quick, since my musicians are such pros. Jimmy Sullivan, my longtime bass player and longtime husband, also played on the record. Cy Winstanley plays electric guitar in the video, but not on the record (Rich Hinman, who plays on the record, lives in Los Angeles). Jordan Perlson, on drums, had just moved to Nashville weeks before we filmed this video -- he was my drummer in the early days of cutting my teeth in New York City songwriter scene and we're happy to see him in Nashville now.

1 Comments

  • Lee

    It's a great time to be alive right here in Nashville. You can just wander down the road into your favorite bar and see Mary Bragg performing these great songs live.