About Brandi...
Brandi Hart began her professional music career in 2001 in New York City. Working first as a vocalist for hire on the vibrant Manhattan roots music scene, Brandi quickly co-founded her own act -- the award-winning Dixie Bee-Liners. Featuring the original songwriting of Hart and others, The Dixie Bee-Liners' music drew on influences from bluegrass, folk, blues, country, and folk-rock. The songs explored themes of love, abuse, wandering, daughterhood, and much more.
In 2006, the band signed with Pinecastle Records. The Bee-Liners released a total of four commercial albums between 2005-2015. Throughout that time, The Bee-Liners shared the stage with Little Feat, Richie Havens, Jesse Colin Young, Charlie Daniels, Alison Krauss, Fairport Convention, and many other noteworthy artists. During this time, the band achieved four #1's on the bluegrass charts and were named Roots Music Association's 2005 Bluegrass Artist of the Year.
In 2012, Brandi announced the end of The Dixie Bee-Liners and began pursuing a gratifying solo career. She has appeared on several recordings by Emmy-nominated Gangstagrass (from TV's Justified on the FX network). She's currently in the studio recording her much-anticipated solo debut album. She's also writing two musical plays and converting a school bus into a pop-up concert venue! Stay on top of all the latest news and shows by clicking here!
Brandi performs and teaches both privately and publicly. Want to inquire about lessons or shows? Start here!
Brandi & The Dixie Bee-Liners...
Fronted by singer and co-founder Brandi Hart, The Dixie Bee-Liners recorded and produced their self-titled debut EP in New York City in 2005. Satellite radio stations quickly put the band in rotation, starting with the songs "Yellow-Haired Girl" and "Lord, Lay Down My Ball & Chain."
"Bible Belt Noir" -- Alan Young, Lucid Culture
RIPE (2008) was The Dixie Bee-Liners' highly anticipated debut release for Pinecastle Records. Produced by Bil VornDick (Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss), this album featured the hit single "Down on The Crooked Road," an homage to Virginia's Heritage Music Trail. The lesser-known title track and "The Bugs in the Basement" (both featured here) are two of Brandi's favorites.
"All the range and soul of [Alison] Krauss, with perhaps more versatility." - John Walker, Americana Roots
"Perfectly put together.... If this is the direction contemporary bluegrass music is headed, I'm all for it. In fact, I'll take a bit more!" - Bob Cherry, Cybergrass.com
The Dixie Bee-Liners' second full-length work, Susanville (2009), peered into the cars and trucks in America's cities and towns, bringing to life 19 breathtaking musical moments along America's interstates and byways. In it, the band employed its signature blend of hooks and harmonies, exploring themes such as escape, adventure, memory, and regret.
"One of the most revolutionary bluegrass releases in recent memory" -- Greg Yost, Country Standard Time
"Poised at the crossroads of the Crooked Road and Abbey Road... a masterpiece" -- Henri Deschamps, The Bluegrass Legacy
Through My Screen Door: The Final Sessions of The Dixie Bee-Liners was released in 2015, nearly three years after the band's 2012 split. A full-blown roots-rock offering, the band had evolved -- yet, had remained true to something primal in that first NYC-based EP.
"Top Ten.... Superb.... Exceptional.... Musical marvel." -- Frank Gutch, Jr., No Depression