By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — Singer/songwriter Stella Prince has amassed an impressive array of credits in a short period of time.
Her new single “Dear Future Me,” which is being released this week on multiple streaming platforms, was co-produced by Grammy winner and steel guitar ace Steve Fishell.
A gifted and veteran musician and producer whose past clients include Dolly Parton, Mavis Staples, Emmylou Harris and John Prine, Fishell raves about the polish, authority and authenticity of Prince’s voice, the conviction and intensity of her lyrics, and the overall quality of her music.
She’s backed on the single by a topflight group that includes Ben Garrett on keyboards and guitar, Mike Dunton on electric guitar, Fishell on steel guitar, Father Phillip on bass and PJ Schreiner on drums.
The maturity in both the vocals and lyrics is also a reflection of the influences of veteran folk and pop performers on Prince, who has been a fan of veteran artists from the start
“Singers like Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Judy Garland, these were the ones I’ve always admired,” she told the Tribune in a recent interview. “But at the same time I also wanted to make sure I had my own sound and style.”
The daughter of artistic parents (a painter and a writer) who grew up in Woodstock, New York, Prince got an early immersion into the music world courtesy of her parents large record collection.
She was taking voice lessons at four, piano at six and guitar at nine. A year later she wrote her first song, and now is establishing herself in the Nashville scene.
Her first successful single “Crying On A Saturday Night” made the Americana charts. “Eighteen” made both the Folk Alliance and Alternative Country charts. Her single “Closing Doors” was widely played on YouTube and also aired on a variety of places including CMT and The Country Network.
A recent winner in August of the Folk Alliance’s First Timers Scholarship, Prince has also become an ardent advocate for other folk and acoustic music artists.
She’s founded and hosts a monthly showcase “Stella Prince & Friends.” It’s the only all-women’s showcase of its kind, created with the support of Change The Conversation (Leslie Fram, Tracy Gershon, Beverly Keel).
“It’s a reflection of how much great talent we have in Nashville and I’m really pleased at the response we’ve gotten Prince concluded.
The event has already gone on the road to such sites as New York’s Bitter End club, and to venues in Boston and soon London.
The next edition of “Stella Prince & Friends” will be November 17 at The Underdog, 3208 Gallatin Pike, from 7-8 p.m.
