Beginning in April, Alice Gerrard will release a special collection of photographs and recipes.

A recording of the 13 songs on “Bittersweet” has been partially funded by fans and produced by Laurie Lewis. Beginning April 3, Gerrard hopes to raise $10,000 with a Kickstarter campaign to finish and publicize the record. To support the project, Alice will release a special collection of photographs and a few recipes from her personal collection: her mom’s chocolate cake, Elizabeth Cotton’s dinner rolls, Louis Boudreault’s baked beans, photographs from ALice’s personal collection.

In her legendary, 40-year music career documenting and performing Bluegrass and Old-Time music, Alice Gerrard is in the final stages of releasing her first recording of all-original songs.

“Bittersweet” is Gerrard’s latest recording in a career of music-making that involved collaborations with Hazel Dickens, former husband Mike Seeger, Tom, Brad, & Alice, The Harmony Sisters, filmmaker Les Blank, traditional fiddler and banjo player Tommy Jarrell, banjo player Matokie Slaughter, and many others.

“Bittersweet” includes 10 new songs and 3 songs previously recorded and out of print—songs inspired by moments in her life, such as the conversation with a neighbor who came into Tommy Jarrell’s house where they were playing music, and said, “y’all sing me a song I can cry to.”

And “Sweet South Anna River,” a story-song about Elizabeth Cotten’s wish to be laid out on a river rather than buried when she died, and as she floated down her friends would be lined along the bank waving—

“And let the river carry me on
Past the redbud and the pine
And won’t you sing to me as I take my leave
You’re gonna miss me all the time…”

“Although I’ve had an original song or two on other recordings that I’ve done,”said Alice, now in her 70s, “I finally decided it was time do a complete album in my own voice — my songs,” said Alice.

About the record

Producer Laurie Lewis first approached Gerrard 8 or 9 years ago at Merlefest about doing a solo recording, but life went on until in 2009, grammy-winning songwriters Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer approached Gerrard about it again. A third prodding came from grammy-winning songwriter Laurelyn Dossett.

“I always thought it’s been MIke and Alice, Hazel and Alice, somebody and Alice,” says Dossett. “And there should be just Alice.”

Alice and Laurie resumed the conversation and the result is this new recording, Alice’s first solo effort in almost 10 years, and the first of all her own music.

Gerrard’s prolific career has included performing and recording with some of the cherished names in Bluegrass and Old Time music. The four albums that Alice and Hazel recorded in the 1960s and ‘70s plus many performances at festival and concert stages, provided both model and inspiration for the other women. “For the first time, (Hazel and Alice) were singing songs that spoke directly to and for women,” said Jack Bernhardt.

Featured musicians

Bryan Sutton, Stuart Duncan, Todd Phillips, and Rob Ickes, with special appearances by Simon Chrisman, Rushad Eggleston, Barbara Higbie, Tom Rozum, Beverly Smith, Laurie Lewis, Chloe Tietjen, Steven Strauss, and Andrew Conklin.

Gerrard’s black and white photographs include pictures of Maybelle Carter and Merle Travis, Dock Boggs, and Matokie Slaughter, and more.

“I’ve always been interested in photography,” Gerrard says, “and in the 60s I took a class
at the Smithsonian. I had the sense that the moments in time that I was experiencing,
and the people who lived in these moments were important and needed to be noted
somehow. And as I look back now I’m really thankful, and I wish I had taken more
photos.”