Settles Connection

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.  

For more information, performances, recording collaborations, etc., please contact us or sign up to be added to our mailing list! We're looking forward to getting to know you!

Settles Connection!

 

SETTLES CONNECTION 2022 

Hey everyone! Thanks for visiting! We hope you all are doing well.

Settles Connection's motto for the year is…

 

What has Settles Connection been doing?

Movie  

Radio

Other Recordings

Performances

What's in progress?

  • Settles Connection personal CD Project

What's next?

There's more to come! keep checking back for updates! In the meantime, lets try to spread love, joy, and peace around as we move the positive forward, leaving the negative behind!

Love to each of you!

Settles Connection

SETTLES CONNECTION 2021 

What about that year 2020?

We hope and pray that you all are doing well.

We made it through 2020, although not without weathering many storms, including tremendous loss of family and friends and watching the world around us crumble a bit. Thankfully, we are hopeful and resilient beings!

After a year-long sequester, music has begun to drive our daily efforts. Check out what's been happing with Settles Connection and the new events & initiatives coming up. 

We appreciate you for hanging in there with us and will look forward to seeing each of you soon.

Love & Peace to each of you. 

Settles Connection 2019 in Nashville TN 

Okay, it is now Summer 2019 and the weather is soaring hot! We can't believe the year is over half way done. Its been a blur of a year, but that's what happens when you're busy and don't have time to stop and think about it. Congratulations to Grammy nominated artists Mary Gauthier & Parker Milsap - thanks for including Settles Connection on your projects!

What have members been doing? Schermerhorn, Tokens Show, Soldier's Song Show, Country Music Hall of Fame, a couple of mighty big beautiful weddings, 3rd & Lindsley with Jonell Mosser and Ashley Cleveland, New Ghetto Swingers with Tom Britt at Douglas Corner, Civil Rights Workshop at Lipscomb University, Myra McClary's Concert at Ensworth High School, and about to get ready for Music in the Grove in Brentwood, Americanafest Week Nashville, and whatever else comes our way!

CD appearances for 2019 releases include Solveig Leithaug's Riverside, Pony Bradshaw's Sudden Opera, Denice Reagan's The Cumberland.

What's coming up? We're looking forward to new projects we're appearing on or in including Pat Alger - produced by Jon Vezner, Minton Sparks new spoken word project - produced by Jim Reilley, BBC's Documentary about the history of Rock & Roll, and we're currently working with Dave Cobb on something special - we'll discuss it in more details as the project unfolds.

That's it in a nutshell. Thank you everyone for your love and support.

Keep on fighting the fight for rights and equality not just for a few, but for all of us!

Love to each of you!

What has Settles Connection been doing? 

Fall 2018  

Hello everyone! Fall is off with a bang! Settles Connection members were in the studio - yes, with other artists of course. They recorded on *Rifles & Rosary Beads by Mary Gauthier, *Pretty Birds by Kathy Mattea, *Other Arrangements by Parker Milsap, and Pony Bradshaw's soon to be released project. We're grateful to be included in their creative processes. *Submitted for Grammy 61 Considerations. Wishing each of them the best of luck.  

Odessa enjoyed working with Dave Cobb on music for the TV series Damnation. The show aired on USA and unfortunately, ended after the first season. Reruns are available online. Odessa traveled to Boston MA to film a pilot to be considered for a TV series Conjure Man by Ej Ouellette (band Crazy Maggy) and Lisa O'Donnell. Odessa was transformed into an 85-year-old healer and teacher of the main character. Awesome story! The filming took place in a 400+ year old home. We will keep y'all updated as the story unfolds.  

Odessa also recorded with Ej on a song he and Lisa wrote entitled *Waking Sleepy Maggy. She traveled to Boston to shoot the video for the song. The song was named a winner in the Clouzine International Music Awards for Best Americana Soul; so, is now reaching world-wide exposure. Ej has submitted it for Grammy 61 consideration – wishing them the best of luck. Song is available on iTunes.

Settles Connection is near ready to get back to their own stuff and will keep you posted. In the meantime, if you need some awesome background noise, collaboration, workshops, performances, or just a shoulder to cry on, we're here for you. Send your contact and your needs. Looking forward to hearing from you. 

Summer 2018 

The summer was challenging and busy. Settles Connection is still making music in various capacities. Wayne Settles & Friends perform the first Friday every other month at The Nashville Rescue Mission. Our friends Ashley Cleveland and Mary Gauthier joined us in April and Ashley just joined us in August. Calvin and Odessa conducted a workshop on music from the Civil Rights Movement to ~90 attendees at Lipscomb University. Odessa recently performed a private event at the Lipscomb University President's home with Lee Camp, Buddy Greene, Jeff Taylor, Matt Combs, and Byron House. Add weddings and a performance at 3rd & Lindsley with Odessa, Maura O'Connell, Jonell Mosser, Siobhan Kennedy and band members John Mock, Tom Britt, Nick Buda, and Paul Ossola, then you will know just how busy Settles Connection has been.

Check Settles Connection on YouTube - shot at Pilgrimage Music Festival by "Sixthman"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM_xEkbVS9g&feature=youtu.be 

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