Legendary banjoist Béla Fleck released both the studio version and a live performance video featuring “Wheels Up,” the latest single from his forthcoming My Bluegrass Heart album. The 19-track effort marks Fleck’s first bluegrass album since 1999 and arrives through Renew Records/BMG on September 10.
My Bluegrass Heart is a guest-filled affair featuring contributions from Billy Strings, Chris Thile, Molly Tuttle, Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, Michael Cleveland, David Grisman, Bryan Sutton and an array of others. All tracks were produced and composed by Béla.
“Folks have been asking me, ‘is there any straight bluegrass on this album?’ This tune was included for exactly that reason,” Fleck explained regarding his new single. “We premiered it at Telluride Bluegrass Festival with the House Band. The album version features Molly Tuttle and Sierra Hull, and it was originally titled ‘Seasick In The Mountains.’ I love how it turned out.”
The studio “Wheels Up” also includes contributions from fiddler Andy Leftwich and bassist Mark Schatz. Stream the new single below:
Béla Fleck will soon hit the road in support of My Bluegrass Heart with a band featuring Cleveland, Hull, Sutton, Schatz and Justin Moses. The group made their debut last month at the RockyGrass Festival. A livestream rebroadcast including the whole set airs via Mandolin on Sunday, September 12 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Watch the band’s performances of “Wheels Up” and previously released single “Vertigo” at Farmette in Lyons, Colorado:
