Artist: Eilen Jewell
Hometown: Boise, Idaho
Song: “Crooked River”
Album: Get Behind the Wheel
Release Date: May 5, 2023
Label: Signature Sounds
In Their Words: “When the pandemic hit and my life fell apart, I spent a lot of time in the mountains of Idaho trying not to spin out too much. I had a guide book of trails and I explored them one by one. It was something to do, and it gave me a sense of purpose. On my way to most of the trailheads I would pass a sign for Crooked River. Something about that name kept calling to me, so I stopped and got out and it became one of my favorite spots. I always had the trail to myself and it went on seemingly forever, no end in sight. I think the name evokes a long and arduous way forward, the opposite of the straight and narrow. The song ‘Crooked River’ was born out of that, just playing with those words and what they meant to me, and what the river itself meant to me, too. It became the symbol of what I was going through at the time and the salvation I found in the company of that place.” — Eilen Jewell
Photo Credit: Beth Herzhaft