Bluegrass singer and bassist Linda Clayman Lay, better known as Linda Lay grew up in Clayman Valley, a small community named after her family outside of Bristol, northeastern Tennessee, right at the border with Virginia. She spent her early years with Janette Carter at the Carter Family Fold near Bristol, Virginia. Linda performed with her family band before starting her own group, Appalachian Trail.
Linda met her husband, guitarist and singer David Lay, and they formed Springfield Exit together with David McLaughlin. Linda has toured the United States with the masters of the Steel String Guitar and was its featured vocalist and bassist. In addition, Linda is a master artist in traditional singing for the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
Together with banjo player Sammy Shelor, Linda recorded a project, Taking the Crooked Road Home, for the Virginia Folklife Program under the direction of Jon Lohman.
Linda has performed with singers across several genres of music, including Vern Gosdin, Carl Jackson, Bruce Hornsby, Piedmont blues singer John Cephas and master of the telecaster, Bill Kirchen.
In the early 2000s, Linda recorded several albums for Cracker Barrel’s Heritage Series CDs. Cracker Barrel is a popular restaurant chain that serves traditional-style southern food.
In February 2022, Linda Lay released a self-titled album on Mountain Fever Records. The “Linda Lay” album features Linda Lay on lead vocals and upright bass; her husband David Lay on acoustic guitar and harmony vocals; Sammy Shelor on banjo; Bryan McDowell on fiddle; Darren Beachley on dobro and harmony vocals; Nick Falk on percussion; and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Ramsey on mandolin, guitar, Weissenborn slide guitar, and harmony vocals.
“I am so excited for the release of my new project on Mountain Fever Records. The music and material are some of the best work that I have done in my recording career,” said Linda about her “Linda Lay” album. “I am looking forward to being on the road this year and letting the audience hear the new music.”
Discography:
Linda’s Mercantile (Cracker Barrel, 2002)
Springfield Exit (Cracker Barrel, 2003)
Stoney Point Quartet (Cracker Barrel, 2003)
Taking the Crooked Road Home (VFHCR, 2007)
That Was Then (Patuxent, 2015)
Happiness of Having You (Mountain Fever Records, 2020)
Linda Lay (Mountain Fever Records, 2022)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.