About the Album-
Don't You Worry About Me is a cd comprised of four cover songs-two of which are instrumentals. All other songs on the album are written by Rachel, except for the gospel song "Nothing's Changed", which was written by a fellow WV songwriter. Musicians on the album include a few close friends, Rachel’s younger sister, and members of the bluegrass band, “No One You Know”. There are also a few special guests such as Buddy Melton, who sings lead on the tune “She Walked Away”. Amanda Smith takes the lead on “Get On My Knees”, with Kenny Smith singing harmony on the chorus. Kenny also added his fantastic guitar playing on "Daybreak in Dixie" and "Hard Times Come Again No More". Ron Stewart also put down a great fiddle break on “Daybreak in Dixie”.
Rachel's Bio-
At the age of nine, Rachel started playing the piano, but soon learned that she had a great interest in the emotional style of bluegrass music. She picked up the fiddle around the age of fifteen but discovered that the mandolin is what she really wanted to play. Having learned to play the piano, initially by ear, it didn't take her long to start picking up techniques on the mandolin. In 2003, Rachel won first place in the Mandolin Competition at the Vandalia Gather in Charleston, West Virginia titling her a West Virginia State Mandolin Champion. She is also the only female to have won this title so far.
After being in a local bluegrass band in high school called "Whitewater", it soon became known to her that music would become her career path. Rachel chose to attend Glenville State College where she was able to participate in one of the only Bluegrass music certificate programs in the nation. Here she was able to major in Music Education and attain the certificate in Bluegrass Music. Through this program, she was in the Glenville State College Bluegrass Band, which gave her several musical opportunities. The band played in many fairs and festivals and even gave the chance to play at the Earnest Tubb Record Shop one evening in Nashville, TN, which was broadcasted over the radio.
Along with the friends she met in the GSC Bluegrass band, came the formation of "Mountain Fury", an all girl bluegrass band, which Rachel was a part of once out of college. This band remained for around three years and got lots of recognition in their home state of WV. Finally, the next band, which is also the current band Rachel is a member of, is "No One You Know". This band has been playing together for 3 1/2 years now. Rachel has been in a variety of bands with many different varieties of bluegrass music, but through being in No One You Know, Rachel has been able to open up her song writing talent. The band is focused on playing mostly original music with a few cover songs thrown in the set list. Rachel wrote her first song, which is track #2 on her solo album, called "Sorry You Will Be", at the age of sixteen. She now has several original songs under her belt.
Along with being the mandolin player and a lead and harmony singer for No One You Know, Rachel is also a Music/Choir middle school teacher in WV. Rachel has a style that is all her own, not only in her song writing and singing but also in her mandolin playing. She doesn't try to be anybody specific except herself. She hopes that the emotion in her lyrics and mandolin playing come through in her album, "Don't You Worry About Me".
If you like the cd, feel free to write a review here on her page at CDBaby!!!
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