Claude Carmichael With Guitar (2026) [courtesy of Claude Carmichael]
Claude Carmichael Photo With Jane Goodall
Claude Carmichael’s first solo album project – featuring eight tracks – is available now at all streamers worldwide
NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES, August 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — After years of preparation, Americana artist Claude Carmichael has stepped out from behind the console to take the lead vocal role on Tennessee Hill, his first solo record, now accessible through his own site or any preferred streaming service. Pulling from a well of influences including Guy Clark, Van Morrison, Rodney Crowell, and John Hiatt, Carmichael blends astute life observations with touches of wit, backed by music that marks him as a poet for the thoughtful listener.
Genuine sorrow runs through the songs on “Tennessee Hill,” particularly in “The Bottom of a Well,” which takes the dark comedic tone of Leon Russell’s “Tight Rope” and turns it into a tune about deep depression and finding a reason to laugh anyway, and “Instead of Me,” drawn from a friend’s remark about a divorce—Carmichael originally conceived it from a female perspective (and hopes to record it that way someday).
Traditional honky-tonk narrative emerges on “Full Time Heartache,” a cheating song co-written with Jeanie McQuinn that was tried out on a dance floor in Virginia, with Travis Toy’s steel guitar driving the rhythm. Also present is a playful nod to the evolution of Carmichael’s Tennessee hometown in “Too Many Yankees (Bless Their Hearts),” a genuine tale delivered with fondness by a longtime resident who, having lived a third of his life in New York City, is well positioned to joke about it—especially with a “Bonafide Yankee” like Casey Wasner serving as co-producer.
“Tennessee Hill” takes a more intimate turn on “Precious One,” a lullaby Carmichael wrote for his daughter, and “The Last Lullaby,” an old-fashioned, nearly 19th-century love song that originated from a barefoot, overall-clad serenade he once played under a girl’s window on a violin he could barely handle. That story is now tenderly captured on the album with the exquisite viola work of Audrey Swank.
“Sonia Lee” takes its title from a fellow Nashville songwriter’s name and repurposes it for one of Carmichael’s most vivid summer recollections. Then there’s the title track, “Tennessee Hill,” which gave the album its name and its soul. It quietly recounts the night Carmichael realized, while driving home from the Bluebird Cafe, that Franklin was no longer just a stop along the way—it was home.
Recorded and co-produced by Claude Carmichael and Casey Wasner at Purple House in Leipers Fork, Tennessee, Tennessee Hill stands as the newest musical achievement in a career largely spent behind the scenes. From early days singing alongside Billy Joel on The Stranger (at producer Phil Ramone’s invitation) to Emmy-winning years as a music director, producer, and arranger for IMAX film scores and television specials, “Tennessee Hill” marks Carmichael’s long-awaited move toward the spotlight with a cohesive set that signals the start of a new chapter—one filled with music shaped by sharp observations from an expert musician at the outset of a delightful new phase.
Additional details on Claude Carmichael’s career, awards, and film and television projects are available at Bigscreenmusic.com. For more on Tennessee Hill, visit claudecarmichael.com
Tennessee Hill Tracklist
1. Bottom of a Well
2. Tennessee Hill
3. Full Time Heartache
4. Instead of Me
5. Sonia Lee
6. Too Many Yankees (Bless Their Hearts)
7. Precious One
8. The Last Lullaby
About Claude Carmichael:
Claude Carmichael is a singer, songwriter, and producer whose career encompasses New York session work (Billy Joel, The Bermuda Depths) as well as environmental and documentary music, including a Daytime Emmy for “This Island Earth” and IMAX soundtracks featuring artists like Bonnie Raitt and Paul McCartney. Now based in Franklin, Tennessee, he issued his debut album, Tennessee Hill, in 2026.
Matt Bjorke
PLA Media
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“Bottom of a Well”
