Biography
Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain’s highly entertaining performances along with a mega chart topping album has made them one of the fastest rising stars in acoustic music. Carrie’s incredible lead vocals backed by some of the hottest young musicians in bluegrass music, have garnered the band #1 albums and #1 singles on a variety of outlets around the world. Carrie has been featured on the cover of Bluegrass Music Profiles Magazine, was honored by her hometown of Pikeville, TN where the Mayor presented her with the Key to the City and proclaimed “Carrie Hassler Day,” among many other honors and recognitions in recent years.
The group jumped on the scene late in 2006 with the release of their self-titled album on Rural Rhythm Records produced by Jim VanCleve of the band Mountain Heart. The CD was an immediate success debuting at #11 on Billboard Top Bluegrass Top Album Chart (retail sales) and spending nine months in 2007 on the Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey Top 15 Album Chart (airplay).
Just over a month after the initial album release, the single “Seven Miles From Wichita” hit the #1 spot on Sirius Radio’s Bluegrass Top 40 and went on to spend 10 months on the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 30 Single Chart and was also a crossover in country radio as well. While that single was still charting, another single, “Going on the Next Train,” hit the same chart and appeared until January 2008. Yet another track, the gospel bluegrass song “Least That I Can Do” spent a year on Bluegrass Now Magazine’s Gospel Truths Chart.
In 2008, Rural Rhythm Records released the band’s sophomore CD, CHHR2 again produced by Van Cleve. The album made its debut at #5 on Billboard’s Top 50 Bluegrass Chart, climbed the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 15 Album Chart and many more. The first single, “I Can Go Back Anytime” hit #1 on the May 2009 Bluegrass Unlimited Top 30 with the second single, Faith & Hope also hitting the #1 spot on Power Source Magazine’s Top 10 Bluegrass Songs. The Alzheimer’s themed tune, “Stranger in His Mind” recently won Strictly Country’s Country of the Year. But it doesn’t stop there, another single, “Country Strong” was released in the U.K. and hit the #1 spot on UK Radio.
Carrie has been influenced by a wide range of talents including Sheri Easter, a gospel singer who tinged her music with some bluegrass sounds along with the gospel message; Etta James, Patsy Cline, Dale Ann Bradley and Alison Krauss. "To this day, I remember the people I looked up to and I hope to make the same kind of mark in lives as these women did in mine," said Carrie.
Instrumentation
Carrie Hassler (lead vocals)
Kevin McKinnon (mandolin, vocals)
Keith McKinnon (guitar, vocals)
Jamie Harper (Fiddle, vocals)
Travis Anderson (bass)
Zach Gilmer (Banjo, vocals)
Discography
CHHR2 - Release Date: July 29, 2008
Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain - self-titled album on Rural Rhythm Records (Release Date: Sept 06)
Links
| http://www.carriehasslerandhardrain.com |
| Hope River Entertainment |
| Rural Rhythm Records |
| Reverbnation |
| CMT.com |