Artist: Starlett & Big John
Hometown: Danville, Virginia (Starlett Boswell Austin); Southampton County, Virginia (Big John Talley)
Song: “The Ties That Bind”
Album: Living in the South
Release Date: February 24, 2023
Label: Rebel Records
In Their Words: “The song came to mind one day after I left church where we sang ‘Blessed Be the Tie That Binds.’ As I was around the house humming it later that day I picked up the bass, started playing that traditional groove and thought ‘the ties that bind, they must have come loose’ and it went from there. I sang and played the first verse and chorus for Big John at our next practice, and the song was finished at our very next studio session!” — Starlett Boswell Austin
“The story behind this was that we wanted to write a traditional song with a ‘Larry Sparks feel’ to it, because we just love the feeling and delivery that only Larry can deliver. We worked on it at a songwriting session and finished it up while we were recording, the whole time continuing to ask ourselves, ‘What would Larry Sparks write and sing… if he was a girl?'” — Big John Talley
Photo Credit: Jeromie Stephens
