“Together, the three played off each other perfectly, while each proving exceptional in their own right.” –– Austin Chronicle
When Kelly Willis, Melissa Carper and Brennen Leigh – three accomplished singer-songwriters who have forged their own unique lanes in country music – joined forces as a power trio, there was no more appropriate moniker than Wonder Women of Country.
At the end of 2021, after serendipitously sharing bills separately several times, Willis approached Leigh and Carper about teaming up and playing some shows together. Wanting more than your standard songwriter-in-the-round arrangement, the three learned each other’s songs to create a more integrated, band approach. Those first few shows together were so much fun and so well-received that they decided to continue.
Wonder Women of Country have discovered that, together, their own individual superpowers come alive. (One of their superpowers is being able to find hidden treasures in any thrift or vintage store.) With Leigh playing lead guitar and mandolin, Carper on upright bass, and Willis playing rhythm guitar, they support each other’s distinctive original material with beautiful three-part harmonies.
“At every show, folks were asking if we had records together,” says Willis. “After months and months of that, we finally found a chance to go make one.”
Their forthcoming, six-song EP, Wonder Women of Country: Willis, Carper, Leigh, was recorded at Bismeaux on the Hill in Austin, TX in December of 2023. It features two songs by each artist, including a couple of Carper/Leigh co-writes, and one reimagined John Prine tune. Each track captures the magic these three create night after night on the road. Wonder Women of Country are the super heroes we’ve all been waiting for.
BRENNEN LEIGH – “Brennen will carry the torch for REAL American music for her generation, and she’s the best one to do it in my opinion,” says Ray Benson. Brennen’s upcoming release “Obsessed With The West” is set to release May 6th featuring Asleep at the Wheel. The album features 12 original songs that Brennen says, “is my love note to Western Swing; To the rich culture it comes from, as I see it.”
KELLY WILLIS – “There’s no point in being nostalgic for the generic delineations of the past. We are in the present. That’s where Kelly Willis lives, and it’s there that she sings, as keenly and movingly as any singer in the country or pop or rock present,” says No Depression.
MELISSA CARPER – “Melissa is one of the greatest classic golden era country singers and composers of this generation,” says Saving Country Music. Melissa’s most recent release “Daddy’s Country Gold” is just that, 12 glittering Carper originals from the country, western swing and jazz variety. Melissa has a new album in the works for release in the fall 2022.
