Texas tunesmith Adam Carroll may fly under the country radio radar, but he draws a lot of water in the Lone Star State.
Inspired by troubadours like Guy Clark and Robert Earl Keen, Adam has penned tunes for Slaid Cleaves (“Race Car Joe,” “Hard to Believe”), Hayes Carll (“Take Me Away”), Band of Heathens (“Medicine Man,” “Maple Tears”) and more. The 42-year-old has also released a handful of albums over the years, including 1998’s South of Town and 2014’s Let It Choose You.
Now, a who’s who of singer/songwriters—including Hayes, Slaid, James McMurtry, Jason Eady, Walt Wilkins, Band of Heathens and more—are coming together to celebrate Adam’s two decades of work by recording a new album, Highway Prayer: A Tribute to Adam Carroll. The 15-song offering, which drops on Oct. 28, is the brainchild of Austin producers Jenni Finlay and Brian T. Atkinson.
“Adam Carroll is a songwriter’s songwriter, a unique voice who’s important to a lot of songwriters,” says Hayes, who recorded “Girl With the Dirty Hair” for the new project. “A lot of people are influenced by him. That’s the measure of if you deserve a tribute record: Are there people you have influenced enough who will come and do it? That’s undoubtedly so with Adam.”
Check out Hayes’ new recording of “Girl With the Dirty Hair” below.
