Carley Arrowood was born in Forest City, North Carolina. She started singing since she was old enough to talk.
Initially, Carley began playing classical violin, but soon she was attracted to the bluegrass music and fiddle melodies of her western North Carolina home.
At age 10, she formed her first band. Carley’s career progressed through high school. She created a band called Carolina Jasmine with her sister, Autumn, that became the first all-female group to win the Junior Band Championship at the famed Fiddlers Grove convention.
Later, Carley began to work at Dollywood (a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and and Herschend Family Entertainment in eastern Tennessee), competed in — and took home trophies from — an impressive list of fiddle contests, and became one of the featured musicians in the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) annual Kids on Bluegrass program.
Carley’s song “Jesus Drive The Train,” a co-write with the award-winning Becky Buller, earned her a showcase appearance at the IBMA’s World of Bluegrass in 2015. In 2014, just a day after graduation, Carley began filling in with Darin and Brooke, joining them full-time that fall after turning 18. Since then, she’s performed with the duo at the Grand Ole Opry, on television shows like “Larry’s Country Diner,” on European tours and at bluegrass festivals and concerts around the country.
In 2017, Carley Arrowood won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Momentum Award for Instrumentalist of the Year.
In 2020, she signed with Mountain Home records as a solo artist. Her debut single was “Dear Juliana”, a song inspired by a true life story, with Daniel Thrailkill on guitar and harmony vocals; Kristin Scott Benson on banjo; Wayne Benson on mandolin; Paul Watson on bass; and Autumn Arrowood on harmony vocals.
In 2021 Carley released several singles, including “Goin’ Home Comin’ On”, “My Kind of Nightlife” and “Letting Go Now“, a duet with Thrailkill, whom she married in June 2021.
In 2022, Carley released her debut album, Goin’ Home Comin’ On, that featured bluegrass radio hits like the title track, gospel favorite “Jesus Drive The Train” and her cover of Alison Krauss’ “Will You Be Leaving?”
“Deeper In Love” (February 2023) was her first single following the album. Carley worked with producer Jim VanCleve and a mix of returning musicians and new ones.
Colors, her second album, was released in 2024. “It’s always an artist’s goal to keep stretching the boundaries of who they are, finding new ways to make the music they love,” says Arrowood. “Creating Colors with such an amazing team and my sweet Mountain Home family has been nothing short of that experience for me. This new collection of music is definitely something I’m thrilled to present! While keeping deep roots in bluegrass, Colors offers nine fresh, new songs and one cover, each with a subtly different shade to add to bluegrass’s ever-expanding palette.”
Colors features guitarist, harmony singer, co-writer (and husband) Daniel Thrailkill; harmony singer (and sister) Autumn Watson; award-winning banjoist Kristin Scott Benson and co-writer Becky Buller, with a short list of new participants that includes mandolin phenom Nick Dumas, the Foreign Landers’ Tabitha Benedict (banjo) and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Partin (Rhonda Vincent & the Rage), along with talented studio percussionist Tony Creasman. Guided by producer Jim VanCleve, Arrowood and her friends recorded a multifaceted album that explores each aspect of her artistry.
Discography:
Goin’ Home Comin’ On (Mountain Home Music Company, 2022)
Colors (Mountain Home Music Company, 2024)
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.