If you're looking for an artist that shares the unvarnished truth about small town living, look no further than Pillbox Patti. Born in Starke, Florida, Pillbox Patti (the stage name of Nicolette Hayford) sings about her upbringing on the Suwannee River ("yankees took the beach, left us with the swamp") on her debut EP Florida, which tackles youthful freedoms and vices ("Young and Stupid"), addiction ("Eat Pray Drugs") and abortion ("Valentine's Day").
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A frequent collaborator of Ashley McBryde, Pillbox Patti co-write McBryde's "Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega," "One Night Standards," "Bonfire at Tina's" and more.
The singer-songwriter says from an early age she was drawn to the lyrics and stark imagery of another writer who cut through the white picket fence facade of suburbia, the singing mailman from Illinois, John Prine. She says it was Bonnie Raitt's devastating version of "Angel From Montgomery" that first grabbed ahold of her and never let go.
"I definitely heard the Bonnie Raitt version first and then that led me to dig into John Prine," she tells Wide Open Country. "There was imagery in that song that I could understand at a very young age...they lyrics, the way Bonnie sings it, there's just a raw honesty. As I get older, it's a song that hits me different. It hits me deeper. The rawness of that is something I'm always trying to strive for."
Pillbox Patti performed "Angel From Montgomery" exclusively for Wide Open Country readers.
For more information on Pillbox Patti, visit her website.
