Article Contributed by IVPR
Published on 2026-08-03
With her upcoming album, Bluegrass Women, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Lindsay Lou set out not only to highlight today’s world-class crop of female pickers and singers, but also to show the world that there has always been a place for women in the ever-expanding genre.
While putting together this collection of tunes penned by oft-overlooked female songwriters, one name could not be left out: Ola Belle Reed. The matriarch of Appalachian music, Reed’s tunes have been carried on for years by the likes of Del McCoury, Tim O’Brien, and many more. Lou now brings Reed’s music to life alongside a stunning string-band ensemble featuring Sierra Hull, Sarah Jarosz of I’m With Her, Allison de Groot, Brittany Haas of Punch Brothers, and Emma Rose on the latest Bluegrass Women single, “I’ve Endured.”
With Lou, Jarosz, and Rose swapping verses throughout “I’ve Endured,” Reed’s memorable verses cascade one after another, adding another piece to the arrangement with each round. Lou made sure to reclaim the song’s minor lyrical variations that have found their way into the bluegrass jam canon over time, honoring Reed with the lyrics from her original recording.
“There’s no chorus except for the single-line refrain at the end of each of the three verses,” says Lou. “But everyone knows all the words because the story is so vivid the way Ola Belle wrote it.”
The band began its recording sessions loosely following the feel of Tim O’Brien’s 2003 recording of “I’ve Endured,” but ultimately put its own spin and chordal reharmonizations on the final take.
“It feels like a night out wandering through an Appalachian mountain town with the sounds of bluegrass jams lingering in the air,” says Lou, proud of her and the band’s tribute to the matriarch of Southern mountain music.
“Barefoot in the Summer on into the Fall
Too many mouths to feed they could not clothe us all
Sent to church on Sunday to learn the golden rule
I’ve endured, I’ve endured
How long must we endure?”
Co-produced by Lou and Shani Gandhi, Bluegrass Women follows Lou’s 2023 LP, Queen of Time, which honored her own maternal lineage—“Namely, the spirit my grandmother left with me,” she says. Bluegrass Women extends that honor to the mothers and daughters of American music.
“Some of these songs I sang for many years before realizing they were penned by a wife/mother/female artist,” says Lou. “As a woman, it’s easy to feel like an outsider, or like you don’t belong, in a genre where there is a noticeable lack of representation of women among the forebears. To know that women’s voices made it into the traditional songs feels like a quiet win, and I want to draw more attention to it.”
Fans can stream or purchase “I’ve Endured” HERE, hear Lou’s previously released Bluegrass Women single “All I Ever Loved Was You” HERE, and pre-order or pre-save Bluegrass Women ahead of its August 14 release via Work of Bart Records and Soundly Music HERE.
The first installment of a four-part mini-documentary about the making of Bluegrass Women premieres Monday, August 3. Watch the documentary trailer HERE. For more information, please visit lindsayloumusic.com.
Lindsay Lou made her official debut at Nashville’s world-famous Grand Ole Opry on July 31. A full list of tour dates can be found below or at lindsayloumusic.com/tour-dates.
Bluegrass Women Tracklist:
1. All I Ever Loved Was You
2. Like a River
3. High on a Mountain
4. I Only Exist
5. I’ve Endured
6. Jubilee
7. Won’t You Come and Sing for Me
8. CC Rider
9. Freight Train
10. Your Lone Journey
Lindsay Lou – “All I Ever Loved Was You”
Catch Lindsay Lou on Tour:
July 31 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry
August 5 – Avon, CO – Avon Live Summer Concert Series
August 7 – Alta, WY – Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival
August 14 – Manchester, VT – Green Mountain Bluegrass Festival
August 28–29 – Ionia, MI – Ionia Freak Fair
September 4 – Snowshoe, WV – Ballhooter Festival
September 6 – Mill Spring, NC – Earl Scruggs Music Festival
September 25 – Salida, CO – Smalltown Gathering
October 1 – Traverse City, MI – Milliken Auditorium
October 2 – Three Oaks, MI – The Acorn
October 3 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Big Room
October 4 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
October 9–11 – Pelham, TN – CaveFest
October 23 – Chattanooga, TN – IBMA World of Bluegrass
November 19 – Denver, CO – Newman Center for Performing Arts
January 28 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore*
January 29 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore*
January 30 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore*
*Supporting The California Honeydrops
