Article Contributed by Victory Lap PR
Published on 2026-05-07
Photo: Courtesy of Nest of Singing Birds
Nest of Singing Birds, a collective devoted to preserving and sharing the rich tradition of Appalachian ballad singing, will release their album The Marshall Sessions to digital streaming platforms on Friday, June 5, 2026. Originally issued as a limited-run vinyl pressing in December 2025, the album captures thirteen traditional ballads performed live inside the Old Marshall Jail Hotel, an anchor of community and culture in downtown Marshall, North Carolina.
Alongside today’s announcement, the group has shared a live video performance of co-founder Donna Ray Norton singing a stirring a cappella version of the traditional folk song “Single Girl,” offering an intimate visual entry point into the project.
Recorded and produced by Tim Nylander, The Marshall Sessions is not a conventional studio album, but rather a document of living tradition — songs passed down through generations, sung a cappella in a space that became a gathering point for both locals and visitors. The recording emerged from the group’s monthly ballad swaps, where singers gather to share centuries-old narrative songs rooted in the Appalachian Mountains.
At the heart of the project is Donna Ray Norton, an eighth-generation ballad singer from Madison County, North Carolina. Raised in the Sodom Laurel community and taught by her late mother Lena Jean Ray and cousin Sheila Kay Adams, Norton carries forward a lineage that is both deeply personal and culturally significant. A co-founder of the Old Marshall Jail Ballad Swap, Norton has become a leading voice in the contemporary ballad revival.
What began in 2023 as a monthly gathering at the Old Marshall Jail quickly grew into a beloved community tradition, drawing Marshall locals and visitors from across the region to share oral histories, swap songs, and honor the deeply rooted cultural legacy of Appalachian ballad singing.
When Hurricane Helene devastated the community in the fall of 2024, that momentum was suddenly disrupted, displacing not only a physical gathering space, but a vital cultural hub, as the Old Marshall Jail itself was forced to close during the rebuilding process.
“We lost the one place where we had our voice,” Norton told Garden & Gun in an interview.
In the months that followed, Nest of Singing Birds found ways to keep both the tradition and their creative home in the spotlight. The group began taking the ballad swap on the road, bringing the experience to new audiences while maintaining its original spirit.
“By traveling the swap, we hope to keep doing what we love and keep our momentum, while also reminding people that our region is still recovering, and we need people to visit our areas,” Norton added.
At the same time, the collective released The Marshall Sessions on vinyl — recordings captured inside the jail before the storm — as a way to preserve the spirit of the space and continue drawing attention to Marshall during its recovery.
The Marshall Sessions now stands as both a time capsule and a testament to resilience.
“When something like this happens, in a place with all these traditions like North Carolina, there’s a risk of losing something so sacred and special,” Norton told Rolling Stone.
Through continued work with the ballad swaps, Norton’s involvement with the Appalachian Memory Project, and the release of The Marshall Sessions, Nest of Singing Birds is helping ensure these vital oral histories are preserved and carried forward for future generations.
Alongside Norton, the album features a close-knit circle of singers and tradition-bearers, anchored by seventh-generation ballad singer Sheila Kay Adams, a group co-founder whose mentorship and guidance have shaped the foundation of Nest of Singing Birds. A recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, Adams has spent decades preserving and teaching the ballad tradition, serving as a direct link between generations of singers.
The album also features William Ritter, whose path into ballad singing was shaped by mentorship from the late Bobby McMillion. Together, the collective reflects a living lineage of Appalachian music, rooted in mentorship, community, and shared cultural memory.
To celebrate the digital release, Nest of Singing Birds will host a free pop-up performance on Saturday, June 6 at 4:00 p.m. at Records in the RAD in Asheville, followed by a gathering at the June Ballad Swap at the Old Marshall Jail on June 10.
For more information, visit:
NestOfSingingBirds.com
