Becky Schlegel Talks About Music and Performing [Audio]

Becky moved to Minnesota in 1993 to further her education, and once there, she closed the lid on the piano – and picked up the guitar. “It was a lot easier to carry to gigs,” she jokes. It wasn’t long before Schlegel became involved in the local Minneapolis music scene. “There were so many incredible musicians and jam sessions here,” she states. “The bluegrass and acoustic festivals and venues are still bursting with talent.”

Schlegel plumbed that talent pool, and in 1997 she formed her first bluegrass band, True Blue, with some of the area’s finest pickers. The next year, the group recorded and released THIS LONESOME SONG, a CD that was nominated for Bluegrass Recording of the Year (1998) by the Minnesota Music Academy. The band’s popularity continued to grow throughout 1999; they showcased at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual trade show and appeared on Garrison Keillor’s NPR show, A Prairie Home Companion. In 2000, the Minnesota Music Academy named Becky Schlegel and True Blue Bluegrass/Old-Time Group of the Year; in 2001, Becky took home the MMA’s Bluegrass/Old-Time Artist of the Year award.

Becky stepped out on her own in 2002, and recorded her first solo CD, RED LEAF. All 11 tracks were originals – and they were “one-step removed” from bluegrass. “I feel that it’s a beautiful & timeless project,” she says of RED LEAF. “I was fortunate enough to have some incredible players join me on this album– Peter Ostroushko, Marc Anderson and Gordon Johnson among them.” The album received critical acclaim – and the title track was named 2002’s Music City Minnesota Song of the Year by the Minnesota Music Festival.