Sometimes to find yourself, you have to go home again.
For Shelly Fairchild, the message of “Mississippi Turnpike” struck a chord. She was at a similar place in life when the song about reconnecting with roots landed in her lap.
“When I first heard it, I had just gone through a tough time in my personal life,” the singer/songwriter said in Out & About Nashville magazine. “I was headed home to Mississippi to get a recharge with my family, and my producer Carey [Ott] who’s one of the writers on the song, sent it to me because it’s about going back home.”
The Mississippi native has long been a staple and treasure of the Nashville scene, with her incredible vocals and sound mixing roots, soul, rock, country and even gospel. Martina McBride is a big fan and has had Fairchild out to open shows for her. Recording engineer John McBride, Martina’s husband, even worked on Fairchild’s latest album, Buffalo.
She tackles some hard issues on this project — the past, the present and the uncertain future — but comes out swinging on the other side. That’s an important lesson for us all.
P.S. Those soulful vocals you here joining Fairchild on “Mississippi Turnpike” belong to none other than singer-songwriter Lucie Silvas. Ladies, how about an official duet?
Samantha Stephens