Our Story
Settles Connection, homegrown & southern born, except for Rick our only Yankee, is one blessed recording, performing, and songwriting group, founded by Odessa Settles, the only sister of eight kids. Based in Nashville TN, the group consists of family and close friends. Everything the group does fulfill personal desires and honors the life and legacy of their father, former Fairfield Four member Walter J Settles and his tremendous contribution to America’s traditional performance art culture. The group seeks to preserve anything Americana (e.g., folk, blues, r & b, traditional & contemporary gospel) and create recordings and performances through collaboration.
“Word of mouth” is a coveted promotional tool for any artist. For Settles Connection, the tool has been the gold standard and has taken members into numerous recording studios and performance venues across the nation to collaborate with some of the best artists, presenters, and producers the industry has to offer. When Dave Cobb calls personally and says “We need y’all” or Vince Gill says “Come sing with me at the CMHOF” or Shooter Jennings call to say “I’ll be in Nashville soon, I need you guys”, or T-Bone Burnett & Denise Stiff calls, or Marty Stuart calls and says “I need a favor”, something is definitely working for the group.
Settles Connection has a long list of recording credits. Hot off the press is Southern Family, a concept CD produced by one of the group’s favorite producers, Dave Cobb, on which the group performs the finale The Way Home with Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes. and is currently working on a new project 2019-2020. The group has also provided background vocals for artists such as Zac Brown, Darrell Scott, Jonathan Edwards, Tony Joe White, Kathy Mattea, Jon Vezner, Martina McBride, Shooter Jennings, Buddy Greene, Danny O’Keefe, Randy Travis, Buddy Greene, Jorma Koukonen, T-Bone Burnett (Oh Brother Where Art Thou and Ralph Stanley), Maura O’Connell, and many more, covering a variety of genres including country, bluegrass, spirituals, gospel, classical, blues, soul, and rock. Members appear on the Grammy-nominated recordings by Maura O’Connell, Dave Perkins, and Ashley Cleveland, and on the double Dove Award winning album Inspirational Journey by Randy Travis that picked up Bluegrass album of the Year and Country Recorded Song of the Year for the song Baptism with background vocals by Settles Connection. The group was named an IBMA Nominee for their work on the Moody Bluegrass: Nashville’s Tribute to the Moody Blues project (Dave Harvey, Producer).
Rounding out the group is Odessa Settles, Calvin Settles, Shirley Settles, Wayne Settles, Sara Settles, Calvin Settles, II, Rick Jones, and Darlene Hill. Yes, there are many and there are more.
See our home page to learn what the group has been up to lately.
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Settles Connection!