The JaneDear Girls Upstage Themselves At CMA Fest
If you bumped in to Susie Brown and Danelle Leverette, better know these days as The JaneDear Girls, last week in Nashville at the CMA Fest, you might just think you had stepped out of a time machine into a different decade or more accurately, two different decades.
Susie, with the long flowing black hair and the “Bettie Page bangs” all dressed up in her retro 50’s style cowgirl look, ala Patsy Cline. And Danelle, with the light brown hair and clothes reminicent of early Madonna attire might make it hard for you to guess exactly what type of music these girls dish up.
But those who got to see them on the big stage at the CMA Fest on June 12th, were left with little doubt that they are “big stage” material. Their first single, “Wildflower”, caught a lot of people by surprise, especially those who thought the act was more about “the look” than “the talent”.
Last year, they played at CMA Fest as well, but on one of the smaller “side stages”, which is the norm for newcomers. But this year, they landed a much desired slot on the “big stage”, which only confirms what many already know, big things are happening for this exciting , new duo.
The two girls met in Nashville, when a friend of Danelle’s told her she should go see Susie perform at a club there. They met and hit it off right away and decided to try to write some songs together, leading very quickly to thoughts of becoming a duo. That led to performing in front of the Muzik Mafia, where the legendary John Rich took an interest and helped them get a publishing contract and eventually the record deal.
The follow-up single, called “Shotgun Girl”, was also released last week and is sure to move them even further up the charts. For those of who you loved The Dixie Chicks, you will find The JaneDear Girls to be just as exciting musically, with a little more “fashion flair” thrown in for good measure. And trust me, they sound every bit as good as they look.
You can check them out and see their new video for “Shotgun Girl” @ www.thejanedeargirls.com
I think it’s safe to say, there won’t be many “side stages” in their future. This duo is definitely on to bigger and better things.
Bob Palumbo