Lauded Guitarist And Songwriter Jedd Hughes Finds His True Musical Path
A testament to not settling for anything less than his truest form of self-expression, Jedd Hughes’s latest album, Nightshades, finds the Australia-born, Nashville-based songwriter and musician’s technicolor musical world blossoming into its fullest potential. Combining mesmerizingly deep and inspiring songwriting with heartbreakingly beautiful guitar playing, carrying listeners to a multitude of unique sonic landscapes, full of witty yet introspective lyrics and lilting, poignant tales of life—not unlike some of his lauded songwriter collaborators, Rodney Crowell, Jim Lauderdale, and Guy Clark, to name a few.
“I came over here to make my own music––that was my dream,” Hughes says of his journey from a town of just over a thousand residents in Quorn, Australia, to the bustling music industry of Nashville, Tennessee. “I started suppressing that dream for a while in the midst of defining my artistry relative to what commerce driven aspects pushed for. To make my own music, I had to figure out what that even was. I had to get some confidence, to try it again, and believe in myself.” Recently, in a recording session among icons Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, and Sam Bush, Hughes had an epiphany. “I was just sitting in the room, thinking, ‘How the hell did I get from the middle of nowhere to moments like these?’”
As it turns out, blazing your own path and sticking to it leads to higher heights, legendary opportunities, and the ability to carve out a singular place for one’s artistry, as Hughes has done with Nightshades. And in true fashion, the powers that be who are looking for that trailblazing authenticity tend to see it shining bright and true. Nightshades is set to be one of the inaugural releases on Truly Handmade Records, a division of Guy Clark LLC formed by Clark’s grandchildren to support artists who, in their words, “live in the spirit of Guy Clark.” The late Clark was not only one of the world’s favorite songwriters, but a dear friend to Hughes—the two co-write songs, shared stages and studios, and generally enjoyed each other’s company—making this release of Nightshades a sweet, full-circle moment for the pair.
Recently nominated by the Academy of Country Music for the Electric Guitarist of the Year award, Hughes will take the stage at the Grand Ole Opry on May 2 and again at Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley on May 4th to celebrate the release of Nightshades and will be hitting the road as a member of Vince Gill’s band throughout 2025.
Nightshades Tracklist:
Meet Me In the Dark
Underground
Nightshades
Stay, Don’t Be Cruel
Loving You Is The Only Way To Fly
Nothing’s Gonna Bring Me Down
Kill My Blues
Day After Day
Riff Raff
Aftermath
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