ASHLEY MONROE

HOMETOWN: Knoxville, Tenn.
INFLUENCES: Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris,Patsy Cline
ALBUM: Like a Rose, out now
WEBSITE: ashleymonroe.com

A publishing deal as a Nashville songwriter helped Ashley Monroe land a major record deal in 2006. Although the deal fell through, she remained undaunted, scoring cuts with Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood, collaborating with the Raconteurs, Ricky Skaggs and Trent Dabbs, and lending her voice to projects by Wanda Jackson, Will Hoge and Train—all before becoming part of the Miranda Lambert-led trio Pistol Annies. Now signed to Warner Nashville, Monroe continues her solo career with Like a Rose. Produced by Vince Gill, the album includes nine songs co-written by Monroe. “We just got the band in a circle and started playing,” she says of the recording process. “Once we felt like we had a feel for it, I did my vocal live and never went back to do a second vocal.” She credits her collaborators for the album’s old-school vibe. “There was a buzz in the room,” she says. “We all had fun. It felt like a big old family.”