Two of music’s most decorated artists have finally made the album they talked about for nearly two decades. Five-time GRAMMY-winning soprano Renée Fleming and 19-time GRAMMY-winning banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck have announced ‘The Fiddle and the Drum’, a collaborative album celebrating Appalachian bluegrass and folk music, out May 29 via Thirty Tigers. Pre-order and pre-save are available now.
The album arrives in time for the United States’ 250th anniversary, drawing from a deep well of American musical heritage. Mountain songs, haunting ballads, and folk hymns pair Fleming’s expressive voice with Fleck’s banjo, joined by leading voices from the bluegrass and country worlds. First discussed nearly two decades ago, the project was finally revisited in 2023 and recorded in Nashville with Fleck serving as producer.
The debut single is “In The Pines,” featuring 11-time GRAMMY-winning icon Dolly Parton. A traditional Appalachian melody dating back to the 1870s, it is a folk song of woe and tall tales, and the combination of these three artists on a single track is remarkable. “It was a dream to have the incomparable Dolly Parton sing on the album,” Fleming says. “Her artistry and goodness come through in every beautiful note.” Parton adds warmth and deep personal history to the recording. “I grew up singing that song in the Smoky Mountains,” she says.
Additional contributions across the album come from Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, Aoife O’Donovan, Sierra Hull, and Sarah Jarosz, making ‘The Fiddle and the Drum’ one of the most impressive collections of bluegrass and folk talent assembled in recent memory. The performances are rooted, generous, and built for the long run.
Fleming and Fleck will bring the album to the stage with a series of special live performances featuring Fleck’s all-star bluegrass band My Bluegrass Heart, debuting at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on May 16. The run concludes with a special concert at Carnegie Hall on December 3, with album guests joining the lineup along the way.
‘The Fiddle and the Drum’ Tracklist:
- He’s Gone Away / Storms Are on the Ocean
- In The Pines (feat. Dolly Parton)
- The Fiddle and the Drum (feat. Jerry Douglas)
- My Epitaph
- The Scarlet Tide (feat. Vince Gill)
- The Cuckoo (feat. Jerry Douglas)
- Blackest Crow (feat. Aoife O’Donovan)
- Scarlet Ribbons
- He’s Gone Away (reprise)
- Pretty Bird (feat. Sierra Hull & Sarah Jarosz)
Tour Dates:
May 16 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry
May 23 – Charleston, SC – Spoleto Festival
Jun. 19 – Telluride, CO – Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Aug. 20-22 – Chautauqua, NY – Chautauqua Institution
Dec. 03 – New York, NY – Carnegie Hall