Abigail Washburn September 21, 2010

Abigail Washburn never set out to be a songwriter or a recording artist. So when she found herself on stage in a smoke filled Beijing club playing her banjo and singing old time Appalachian mountain music in Chinese to a packed house, she was as surprised as anyone. On her return to the States, Washburn began to explore American culture, a journey that led her back to her native country's traditional roots. When she heard Doc Watson playing 'Shady Grove' on the banjo, something clicked and the connection that eventually led to 'Song of the Traveling Daughter' was made. Musically, the album is one of the most bare bones debuts in recent memory.