Kelley Breiding’s debut solo record, Nightingale, is a triumphant liberation decades in the making. For twenty years, Breiding had been the leader of the rambunctious rockabilly band Kelley and the Cowboys, alongside tenures in the old-time act Crooked Road Ramblers, the exquisite acoustic trio Spencer Branch, and her hosting duties for the traveling Blue Ridge Opry.

The path to Nightingale began in early 2025 when Music Maker founder Tim Duffy connected her with producer Jimbo Mathus, who had been impressed by Breiding’s classic country tone. Breiding agreed to Mathus’s proposal to “make some art,” and for two months, they conducted a long-distance song-swap. She purposefully avoided learning about Mathus’s impressive résumé (which includes work with Squirrel Nut Zippers, Elvis Costello, and Andrew Bird) to ensure they worked on the same level, noting, “I just wanted to work with this person."

In May 2025, Breiding drove from her Ashe County, North Carolina, home to Music Maker’s Fountain studio. She recorded with a crack band assembled by Mathus, featuring guitarist Scott “Paco” Goolsby, pedal steel ace Nathan Golub, and multi-instrumentalist Kirk Russell. The sessions yielded the powerful results heard on Nightingale, including Breiding’s own get-lost anthem “Quit Calling My Husband” and the defiant “Party Hat.”

Breiding calls the experience empowering: “Coming out of it, I felt like maybe I threw off a cloak I didn’t know I had on... When I walked into Music Maker, there was no armor, no gimmick. It was just me, saying what I want to say."