Today, GRAMMY and IBMA Award winning bluegrass bassist Shelby Means has released her solo debut, a traditional, burning original song, "Streets of Boulder." Previewed by The Bluegrass Situation, the track is full of heartbreak, longing, and the propulsive magnetic energy Means has become known for as an instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist across her lauded career in roots music. STREAM HERE.
"I wrote this song in college," Means tells BGS. "It was my first attempt to write a heartbreak song and it became the first original song I performed in a band. ... I really wanted [my brother,] Jacob Means, to play mandolin on this recording ... with Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton, Ron Block, and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes. I invited Molly Tuttle and Kyle Tuttle to sing harmonies with me and we spent one afternoon in a hotel room recording [them]..."
The resulting track certainly doesn't sound like the first original song Means has released, finding her in 2025 with a confidence and ease moving from her many experiences as a sidewoman and band member to center stage. After multiple decades performing with some of the buzziest names in bluegrass and Americana – Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Della Mae, Sally & George, and more – Means shines out front with her piercing and singular voice, thoughtful (and effortlessly bluegrass) lyrics, and her assertive bass playing.
With more solo releases slated for later in 2025, Shelby Means will continue to demonstrate the full depth and breadth of her musical talents for the first time under her own name.
Stream "Streets of Boulder" (Feat. Molly Tuttle, Kyle Tuttle) here.
ABOUT SHELBY MEANS: Born in the bluegrass of Kentucky and raised on Wyoming’s high plains, Shelby Means is one of the foremost bassists in bluegrass, with nearly two decades of experience in bluegrass, folk, rock, Americana, and country outfits. Now based in Charleston, SC, during her decade-plus in Nashville she was a member of the incredibly impactful GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass band of all women, Della Mae. With Della Mae and others she has traveled to more than 20 countries around the world spreading musical diplomacy.
Means is also one half of roots duo Sally & George with her husband and collaborator, Sol Driven Train’s Joel Timmons. With Timmons, Mary Lucey, and Billy Cardine, she co-founded another group, Lover’s Leap, a genre blurring, heart-led Americana band. Means is a member of Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, with whom she gained her first GRAMMY win for their 2023 album, City of Gold. She’s also received more than a handful of awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association for her work with Della Mae and Golden Highway.
Means is a driving player with a deep pocket, a singular stage presence, and a magnetic, centered approach to the upright bass. Beyond her work on the instrument, she’s also an accomplished songwriter and a heartfelt vocalist whose voice is rooted in tradition while authentically her own. With her debut solo music, slated for release in 2025, Means invites listeners to experience the same soulful presence and adventurous spirit she has built her career on. Her singing and playing has been heard across the country and around the world, from NPR’s airwaves, the Grand Ole Opry, Bonnaroo, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and Newport Folk to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Kazakhstan, Australia, and beyond. www.shelbyleemeans.com
