GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Aaron Raitiere’s new song, “Single Wide Dreamer,” is debuting today—watch/share the official music videoabove.
Of the song, Raitiere shares, “‘A single wide dreamer in a double wide world’ – This wound up being a character who folks relate to because most people know this person. When this song was written, my house had just burned down and I was crashing at my friend Jon’s trailer in Pleasantview, TN. He wrote a song inspired by me one morning- and I wrote one inspired by him. The result was a combination of the two songs and a memorable character that has followed me around since.”
“Single Wide Dreamer” is the title track of Raitiere’s highly anticipated debut album, which will be released
May 6 via
Dinner Time Records/
Thirty Tigers (pre-order
here). Produced by
Miranda Lambert and
Anderson East,
Single Wide Dreamer is the realization of a long-awaited artistic dream for Raitiere, who is already known for his acclaimed behind-the-scenes career as a songwriter. Initially started four years ago, the album began when Raitiere gave Lambert and East a collection of songs and complete creative control, allowing them to curate the track list, suggest arrangements and add guest vocals. The resulting record, which features friends and collaborators
Bob Weir,
Dave Cobb,
Natalie Hemby,
Ashley Monroe,
Robert Randolph,
Foy Vance and
Waylon Payne, is twelve tracks that exemplify Raitiere’s signature observational writing—sometimes reflective, sometimes irreverent, but always inspired by his own experiences.
Ahead of the release, Raitiere has shared three additional album tracks: “
Dear Darlin’,” “
Everybody Else” and “
For The Birds,” of which
Music Row praises, “His homespun vocal, the funky-folkie track and a wry attitude are the hallmarks of this delightful track. If you need a smile today, here it is.” In celebration of the new music, Raitiere will make his
Grand Ole Opry debut on Friday, May 6.
Reflecting on the album, Raitiere shares, “I think the record kind of made itself, and that was the vibe I was going with. It was just a bunch of friends getting together trying to help me create something, because they thought I needed a record.” He continues, “I don’t think there was an intended theme, but it came out to be representative of this time in my life where I was falling in and out of love and learning how to deal with it.”
Of the record, Lambert shares, “I had so much fun working on this project with Aaron. He is truly one of the most amazing artists and humans I’ve ever known. He is legendary and I’m honored to be a part of this record and to call him a friend. I can’t wait to see what happens with this music.”
Additionally, East reflects, “It’s a rare thing that a human be able to find and express themselves through songwriting. I’ve been fortunate enough to see it a few times but in the case of Aaron Raitiere, he’s solely himself. Funny, thoughtful, realistic and honest (even when he’s a full of shit). I’m proud to have had the ability to watch his gifts develop into what they’ve become and even more excited to see where they go and who it touches along the way.”
Recorded at both Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A and The Casino, Single Wide Dreamer was engineered by Brandon Bell and Eric Masse and features musicians Brian Allen (bass), Ben Clark (trumpet), Darren Dodd (drums, percussion), Jake Mitchell (12-string guitar), Scott Murray (slide guitar), Chris Powell (drums, percussion, congas), Frank Rische (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, 12-string guitar) and Phillip Towns (piano, mellotron, B-3 organ) with additional background vocals from Kristen Rogers.
