Guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist Ray Cardwell is the newest addition to the Americana Vibes roster, label of the Grammy-award winning Progressive Bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters.

Cardwell’s debut album on the label and fourth full-length release of his career, Singing Tree, has been Produced by Jeremy Garrett of The Infamous Stringdusters and is slated for release on January 31, 2025. The lead single “Missouri Breeze” is out now.

Jeremy Garrett says about the new album:

I’ve produced several solo projects as well as some really fun bluegrass records, but I’ve always wanted to work with a vocalist of Ray’s caliber. We met during the COVID lockdown and wrote ‘Missouri Breeze’ during a Zoom session. Ray’s story is inspiring. He stepped back from his career to be with family after losing his wife to cancer—his trust in me to produce this single and upcoming album means the world.

Praised for his strikingly high vocal range, Ray Cardwell has deep Bluegrass roots from performing with his family band in the mid-1970s, progressing New Tradition, and taking creative detours in Hollywood and Nashville. In addition to his solo work, he also regularly records and tours with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Traffic) member Dave Mason. 

Singing Tree’s  title pays homage to a childhood memory of a massive tree near Cardwell’s home in Missouri, known to him as “the singing tree”, under which he and his family would gather to share songs much like those on his new record.

Guests on the album will include banjo pickers Scott Vestal, Ryan Cavanaugh, and Andy Thorn, and also Cody Kilby on guitar, and John Cowan singing harmony vocals.