Garrett Boys

Every family has its own unique history, a timeline fleshed out by memorable characters, milestone events, and the stories passed on through the decades that bind it all together. For the Garrett Boys, a family trio from Overton County in east Tennessee, their history just happens to lend itself to some excellent Appalachian folk music.

Made up of brothers Stephen and Russell Garrett, and Stephen’s son Carter, the Garrett Boys are rooted, both musically and physically, in 500 hilly, wooded acres that have had a magnetic pull over their family for generations. The men refer to it simply as “The Land,” and it’s the setting for nearly every one of the 11 songs on It Runs Deep, the trio’s debut album.

“About 200 years ago, some Garrett boys came from North Carolina and settled in that area,” says Stephen, who plays acoustic guitar and sings lead in the band. “Some old records say that they acquired land between Mill Creek and Mitchell Creek, and that's the property that Russell and I grew up on. Carter will be the ninth generation to own it.” Says Carter: “There is just something that you feel when you're on that property that’s connected to all these songs.”

But while the land is specific to the Garrett Boys, the album the group wrote about it is universal. Produced by Ray Kennedy (Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams), It Runs Deep contains elements of bluegrass, folk, and country, but refuses to play it safe. It nods to their varied influences, from Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell to Chris Knight and Hank Williams Jr., in its tales of enduring love (“The Ballad of Ed & Peg”), dangerous livelihoods (“Ride the Timber Down”), mysterious murders (“Pond Ridge”), and hard-earned self-discovery (“Who I Am”).

“We wanted a record that was acoustic-driven, but still had balls,” says Stephen. With It Runs Deep, the Garrett Boys memorialize those family stories — for themselves, for their descendants, and now for fans of classic American folk music. “Our music is about the importance and depth of family and community,” Stephen says. “It’s a mix of what we have been versus what we can become, and how we can take the good from all that and build a future.”