While Molly Tuttle has technically been part of the bluegrass scene since 2006, the 29-year-old reached new heights in 2022, netting two nominations at the 2023 Grammys: Best New Artist and Best Bluegrass Album.
This year saw the artist release her first project since 2020’s …but I’d Rather Be With You. Tuttle’s third studio album Crooked Tree, recorded with her band Golden Highway, arrived in April 2022, and landed her the Best Bluegrass Album nomination.
As for the Best New Artist nod, Tuttle will be up against Anitta, Domi & JD Beck, Latto, Omar Apollo, Samara Joy, Muni Long, Tobe Nwigwe, Måneskin and Wet Leg in the category, come Music’s Biggest Night on February 5th, 2023.
Here are five things to know abut Molly Tuttle prior to the 2023 Grammy Awards, and check out the full list of nominations here.
1. She comes from a musical family
Like many other Best New Artist nominees, Tuttle’s career in music began at a young age. As an eight-year-old, she started taking up guitar before playing on stage with her father Jack Tuttle, a bluegrass multi-instrumentalist, three years later. She released her first album, The Old Apple Tree, at age 13; the project consisted of duets with her father. At 15, Tuttle joined her family band, The Tuttles with AJ Lee.
2. She plays well with others
Tuttle has performed with multiple bands over the course of her career, dating back to her college years. In 2014, while studying at the Berklee College of Music, Tuttle joined Goodbye Girls, an all-women bluegrass band. The group would release two projects and toured in Sweden, the home country of the group’s fiddle player, Lena Johnson. Other groups that Tuttle performed in include supergroup the First Ladies of Bluegrass (featuring Tuttle, Alison Brown, Missy Raines, Sierra Hull, and Becky Buller) and her very own The Molly Tuttle Band.
3. She’s already used to the award show circuit
While these two nominations mark the first time Tuttle has landed Grammys recognition, she’s no stranger to accolades. She first won the Momentum Award at the International Bluegrass Music Awards in 2016, and has been recognized at the ceremony every year since, racking up numerous nominations and wins. She was also named the Americana Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year in 2018.
4. She made history in 2018
As a familiar name at the International Bluegrass Music Awards, Tuttle would make history at the award ceremony by becoming the first woman to win the show’s Guitar Player of the Year honor in 2017. In 2018 she won the award again, and was named Instrumentalist of the Year.
5. She’s a seasoned collaborator
Whether it be through groups, her solo work, or featuring on other artists’ projects, Tuttle has worked with a wide array of musicians. Her own projects have featured Margo Price, Billy Strings, and Old Crow Medicine Show, and she has featured on tracks by Bobby Osborne, Korby Lenker, and Béla Fleck.
See the full list of 2023 Grammy Awards nominations here.
Grammys 2023 Nominees Photo Gallery: