Suzi Ragsdale
Nashville, Tennessee, United States | INDIE | AFM
Music
Press
She sings with Rodney Crowell on one track on this two-EP CD collection, has been in the bands of Guy Clark and Darrell Scott, and is, incidentally, the daughter of Nashville's Ray Stevens, of "The Streak" and "Everything is Beautiful" fame. Ms. Ragsdale's bluesy vocals work a territory that overlaps folk-rock, pop and laid-back jazz; the instrumentation includes horns, synthesizers and Hammond organ, as well as electric guitars and banjo, and she writes original songs at home in the often lush arrangements. - BARRY MAZOR
The music on Best Regards and Less of the Same is almost perfect for what it is. It's well-made and folksy, but it has a certain country style to it that can only come from living in Nashville, which many artists try and fail to duplicate. The tracks are produced professionally and stylistically and they hone in on Ragsdale's voice and range, showing off her lyrics but managing to showcase the music behind the words, as well. The music is as honest and upfront as Ragsdale is - you can tell that the musicians involved with her are in the studio with her for the same reasons she is - to share what they love.
Suzi Ragsdale is clearly on her way. "My destination's off the chart/neither here nor there/it's all up in the air", she says on "Best Regards". She's right - with an album full of delicate honesty and homey advice, she's definitely going nowhere but up.
- Abbey K. Davis
Trust me, as someone who's done his damnedest to find merit in such past female voices as Melissa Manchester, Martha Velez, Rita Coolidge, Nicolette Larson, and others, I've too often come away at best half fulfilled, curious as to what I might've been missing. Well, nothing had really passed by; the ladies were just too formulaic, standard, impersonal, whereas Ragsdale presents a more vibrant light, often Randy Newmanish, a centered Paul Williams, much more a Lucinda Williams / Indigo Girls / Dixie Chicks than Helen Reddy or Anne Murray (who has recorded Ragsdale's work). - Mark S. Tucker
Discography
DISCOGRAPHY
Suzi Ragsdale, "Future Past", Vocals, Harmony Vocals, Accordion
Verlon Thompson & Suzi Ragsdale, "Anything Goes", Vocals, Harmony Vocals, Piano
Verlon Thompson & Suzi Ragsdale, "Out Of Our Hands", Vocals, Harmony Vocals, Piano
Verlon Thompson, "Out At The Barn”, Vocals, Harmony Vocals, Accordion
Verlon Thompson, “Verlon Thompson”, Vocals, Harmony Vocals
Guy Clark, “Boats to Build”, Vocals, Harmony Vocals
Guy Clark, “Dublin Blues”, Harmony Vocals
Guy Clark, “Keepers”, Harmony Vocals, Accordion
Guy Clark, “Best of the Sugar Hill Years”, Harmony Vocals, Accordion
Darrell Scott, “Aloha from Nashville”, Harmony Vocals
Darrell Scott, “Family Tree”, Harmony Vocals
Darrell Scott, “Theatre of the Unheard”, Harmony Vocals
Darrell Scott, “The Invisible Man”, Harmony Vocals
Darrell Scott, "Modern Hymns", Harmony Vocals
Wayne Scott, “This Weary Way”, Harmony Vocals
Pam Tillis, “Sweetheart's Dance”, Harmony Vocals
Pam Tillis, “All of This Love”, Harmony Vocals
Pam Tillis, “Greatest Hits”, Harmony Vocals
Pam Tillis, “Every Time”, Harmony Vocals
Pam Tillis, “RCA Country Legends”, Harmony Vocals
Suzy Bogguss, “Something Up My Sleeve”, Harmony Vocals
Randy Travis, “This Is Me”, Harmony Vocals
Randy Travis, “Trail of Memories: The Randy Travis Anthology”, Harmony Vocals
Randy Travis, “Very Best of Randy Travis”, Harmony Vocals
Ian Tyson, “Eighteen Inches of Rain”, Harmony Vocals
Ian Tyson, “All the Good 'uns”, Harmony Vocals
Tom Paxton, “Wearing the Time”, Harmony Vocals
Tom Paxton, “Comedians & Angels”, Harmony Vocals
David Ball, “Thinkin' Problem”, Harmony Vocals
Joy Lynn White, “Between Midnight & Hindsight”, Harmony Vocals
Joy Lynn White, “Wild Love” Harmony Vocals
Joy Lynn White, “Lucky Few”, Harmony Vocals
Joy Lynn White, “One More Time”, Vocal Group Member, Harmony Vocals
Johnsmith, “Break Me Open”, Harmony Vocals, Accordion
Jellyroll Johnson, “Jelly Roll Johnson and a Few Close Friends”, Vocals, Harmony Vocals
Ray Stevens, “Me”, Vocals
Tall Paul, “Voodoo Doll”, Accordion
Hank Williams, Jr., “Maverick”, Harmony Vocals
Confederate Railroad, “Confederate Railroad”, Harmony Vocals
Confederate Railroad, “Greatest Hits (Atlantic)”, Harmony Vocals
Confederate Railroad, “Notorious” Harmony Vocals
Confederate Railroad, “Rockin' Country Party Pack”, Harmony Vocals
Jenn Adams, “In the Pool”, Harmony Vocals
Clay Greenberg, “Tumbleweed” Accordion
Mike Gouchie, “Bad Boys & Angels”, Harmony Vocals
Various Artists, “Sugar Hill Records: A Retrospective (Box Set)”, Harmony Vocals
Various Artists, “Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman”, Accordion
Various Artists, “No Song, No Supper: Sugar Hill Singer-Songwriters”, Harmony Vocals, Accordion
Various Artists, “Mother Queen of My Heart: A Collection of Songs”, Harmony Vocals
Various Artists, “Vanguard Collector's Edition”, Harmony Vocals
Various Artists, “NASCAR: Runnin' Wide Open”, Harmony Vocals
Various Artists, “Signatures III: A Song Writer's Album”, Harmony Vocals
Photos
Bio
Nashville native, Suzi Ragsdale virtually cut her teeth in the recording studio. Her dad a singer/songwriter as well, she grew up surrounded by music. At age 5, she sang with the kiddie chorus on her father Ray Stevens’ Grammy Award winning smash, “Everything Is Beautiful”. At 10, she began recording children’s albums and writing her own songs… by 13, she was singing other writers’ demos… & by 17 singing in local clubs.
In 1990, Suzi began collaborating with Verlon Thompson and the two produced 4 albums for their own VNS Records. They also joined Guy Clark’s band and played and sang on Guy’s albums such as Boats to Build (1992), Dublin Blues (1995) and Keepers (1997). Suzi can also be heard singing and/or playing on six of Darrell Scott’s seven albums from 1996 to the present. Darrell produced Suzi’s 1998 album Future Past, and both he and Verlon accompanied her on it.
Since 1990, Suzi Ragsdale’s vocal work has appeared on discs by Suzy Bogguss, Pam Tillis, David Ball, Hank Williams Jr., Joy Lynn White, Tom Paxton, Ian Tyson, Jo-El Sonnier and many others. During this same time period, her songs were recorded by stars such as Anne Murray, Billy Dean, Pam Tillis, Mila Mason, Suzy Bogguss, Lari White, Lisa Brokop and the rock twins Nelson. From 1991 to present, she’s collaborated in studio & on stage with Darrell Scott.
In 2008, Suzi launched Stark Raven Records and in March of ’09, released her first project, Best Regards. Her new double EP is set to release January of '09.
“Best Regards is just the right mix of wisdom, whimsy and white wine. My advice is to listen in your kitchen. There's a lot of hers in the music.”
-- Rodney Crowell
“Backed by sophisticated arrangements and innovative sonic textures, she performs a collection of strikingly original tunes. An absolutely stunning achievement.”
-- Robert K. Oermann
Music Row magazine
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