Graham Sharp Makes Solo Debut With 'Truer Picture'

Graham Sharp, the singer/banjoist, chief songwriter, and founding member of the GRAMMY-winning Steep Canyon Rangers, is set to make his solo debut with Truer Picture on Yep Roc Records. The album's digital release is set for May 7, with CD and LP to follow July 9. Directed and edited by Wade Sharp, Graham's son, the video for the first single, "Generation Blues," is out today.

Of "Generation Blues," Sharp offers, "When I think of the inheritance I leave to my kids and their generation, I want it to be only the best of what I know; there's a lot I'd just as soon leave behind. The youth have a strong sense of calling out bulls. This song is about as close to rock 'n' roll as I get... hopefully they won't call me out for that. It's pretty ironic to have my kids working so closely with me on the video for a song about intergenerational friction."

Produced and mixed by Sharp and Seth Kauffman (Floating Action, Courtney Jaye, Shannon Whitworth), the album was recorded at Kaufman's Black Mountain, NC studio and mastered by Chris Boerner at The Kitchen in Carrboro, NC. Sharp and Kauffman played all the instruments for the session, except for Matt Smith on pedal steel.

With a warm, resonant baritone, Truer Picture showcases Sharp's incredible diversity as a vocalist and writer with a collection of songs all written and sung by him the exact way he intended them to sound. "This record, to me," says Woody Platt, lead vocalist of Steep Canyon Rangers, "is Graham channeling the music he loves most: writing it, playing it, and singing it all on his own. It's like a Sunday morning cup of coffee with Don Williams, a late-night tour bus ride with Terry Allen, or an afternoon with John Hartford."

As the world entered lockdown in 2020, the Asheville, NC-based Sharp drew inspiration from a wellspring of emotions. Tackling feelings of isolation on "Come Visit My Island" to addressing political unrest on "My Neighborhood," Sharp's unique style of songwriting is ever-present on the Prine-esque songs "North Star'' and "Coming Back to Life." The lush instrumentation on "Deeper Family," which features harmony vocals from The War on Drugs' David Hartley, illustrates the stark sonic differences between Sharp's solo work and his music with Steep Canyon Rangers.

Listen to "Generation Blues" here:

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