Heidi Newfield always colors outside the musical lines. Since embarking on a solo career in 2008, Heidi continues to captivate audiences with her electric stage presence while working on new musical projects with producer Jim “Moose” Brown.
A native of Sonoma County in Northern California, Heidi started playing piano before adding guitar and harmonica to her musical repertoire. A self-described “scrappy farm girl,” her family raised Quarter Horses. Music has always been part of the fabric of Heidi’s upbringing. Heidi’s first live performance came at the young age of six when she asked a local bandleader if she could sing Tanya Tucker’s “Delta Dawn, in the key of C.” Thankfully, he obliged, and as the saying goes, “the rest is history.”
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After taking three years of piano from Mrs. Young, Heidi asked her mom’s permission to turn her efforts to the guitar. The change also led Heidi to start writing poems and songs. “The great songwriter Harland Howard once told me not to give up and that I would have to write a thousand songs before something would click.” It’s apparent that Heidi’s hard work continues to pay dividends in songs like “Johnny and June” and most of the songs on her current project, “The Barfly Sessions.”
Heidi recorded three albums with Trick Pony before branching out on her own. Interestingly, this country girl grew up listening to traditional country artists like Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. Her parents would raise an eyebrow when Heidi would play a Rolling Stones or Blues tune. All of these influences are apparent when Heidi sings or plays.
I had heard Heidi perform with Trick Pony but lost track of her until I attended a John Berry benefit show at City Winery in 2018. Her performances blew me away when she played harmonica with Jim Messina and performed alongside Lee Roy Parnell. In my opinion, Heidi is one of the most underrated musical artists still performing today. Music fans of all genres should give her music a listen. Better yet, they should catch her live performances.
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“Johnny and June” was written specifically for Heidi’s breakout solo album. When Heidi laid the demo down a couple of days later, she reconstructed the bridge and second verse. The result pleased Tony Brown, the album’s producer. Once everyone heard the song, they knew Heidi had a hit on her hands.
Barfly Sessions
The story around how Heidi’s latest project developed is just as intriguing as some of her songs. After writing “Barfly,” Heidi and Moose decided that “The Barfly Sessions” was the appropriate title. The project contains 14 songs, 12 of which showcase Heidi’s songwriting skills. Several accomplished artists, including Jim “Moose” Brown, Chris Stapleton, Trent Willmon, Matt King, Leslie Satcher, and others, joined Heidi as co-writers or performers on this session. Songs on this album include “Barfly,” “Wrong Side Of The Bottle,” “Whitley’s Tombstone,” “When Heaven Falls,” and “Temporary Fix.”
Heidi Newfield, along with her fiance, Matt King, continue to write and produce great music. For the rest of us, that’s excellent news. After all, anyone that routinely asks herself, “What would Dolly do?” is pretty damn smart.
Check out Heidi’s social media platforms, download “The Barfly Sessions,” and catch one of Heidi’s live shows later this year.