Whitney Duncan: Going Down the Right Road
Though Warner Bros. recording artist Whitney Duncan is not what one would call a star just yet, there’s no doubt in a lot of people’s minds (including this writer) she should be. She hit the Top 40 last year with the summer-flavored “Skinny Dippin,” and has just released her debut digital release for the label, Right Road Now. If Duncan doesn’t explode soon on the charts, there is no justice. She’s got it all—a voice that exudes her West Tennessee upbringing and Hollywood-style looks that would stop traffic on any highway, any place. Hopefully, everyone else (label, radio, etc..) will catch up with what a lot of people know—Duncan has what it takes to be a star.
For Duncan, the story begins in rural Scotts Hill, Tennessee. The tiny Tennessee River hamlet was very influential in her growing up. “There’s about 900 people in the town,” she says. “It’s gorgeous, and it’s a great little town. Everybody knows everybody, it’s a typical small southern town, you know. It is close to the river. It’s about two hours from Nashville and Memphis both, and not too far from the Mississippi line. My parents are still there, and I actually get to go back there quite a bit…and see my dog!”
Her river roots play a part in her musical influences. Being relatively close to Memphis meant that a certain artist from the area was one she spent a lot of time listening to growing up. “Oh, yeah. Elvis was the whole reason I started singing. Absolutely. I’m the biggest Elvis fan,” she says of “The King,” but she also admits that Jerry Lee Lewis was also a big influence.”
Duncan was exposed to a wide variety of music growing up, thanks to her parents’ eclectic tastes. “My dad wasn’t really that big of a country fan when I was a kid. So, when I was in the car with him, we were listening to Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones, and people like that, but my mom was a huge country fan. With her, it was Tammy Wynette, Tanya Tucker, and Don Williams, so I had a pretty wide variety. I grew up loving both, but when we were all in the car together, my mom was going to win the fight over the radio station…So country won, but all those people influenced me and my music, definitely.”
One of her biggest country influences was Williams. One of the highlights of Duncan’s stage show is her rocking performance of the recent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee’s 1978 classic “Tulsa Time.” Of the singer known as “The Gentle Giant,” she says “I love that man, His voice, to me, is so haunting. My favorite song ever is “Good Old Boys Like Me.” I can’t cover that. I’m not a boy, so I chose “Tulsa Time.” I’ve always been a big fan. His voice is just so smooth. I think that’s great. He’s definitely influenced me, for sure!
Her rural roots are something the singer is very much proud of, something that comes across the moment she speaks. A popular web series on her website is called Whit’s Wit. Of the web posts, she says, “I did this several week video thing where I was explaining southern words—things we say like “over yonder,” “I reckon,” just stuff like that, where people will look at you and say ‘what are you talking about?’ I have several of those, where people will look at me and go ‘What do you mean by that?’ Then I have to explain myself.”
“When I go back to my hometown, I don’t talk near as much country as the people there, or even my parents. If they think I’m country, they ought to come to Scotts Hill.”
What was her very favorite ‘Whitney-ism?” The singer replied that “The one I find myself using all the time is ‘yonder,’ for sure. It could be anywhere. Over yonder, up yonder, down yonder. It doesn’t really rule out anything specific, which I love. My mom, I might ask her where she put my socks, and she’ll say ‘over yonder.’ Well, that doesn’t really help me out at all. Just where exactly is that? It’s just a great word.” However, if you think that Duncan talks with a twang, then you might need to head to nearby towns like Parsons, Clifton, or Decatursville. “When I go back to my hometown, I don’t talk near as much country as the people there, or even my parents. If they think I’m country, they ought to come to Scotts Hill,” she says with a laugh.
Another thing that brings a smile to Duncan’s face is when she talks about Right Road Now. Getting the album to her growing fan base is something that she is exhilarated about. “It’s like your child, definitely. We worked so hard on it for a long time. I co-wrote all the songs, so it’s pretty personal. It’s nice to get it out to the fans and give them something to buy. It’s been done for a while, but it’s just the process of getting it out to the public.”
That process took almost two years from the release of her first single, “When I Said I Would,” but she is confident that the public will find it worth the wait. Of the musical direction on the disc, she says that “It’s definitely country-rock, for sure. It’s got all my influences on it. It’s got pretty heavy guitar, which I love. But, there’s something for everybody. There’s lots of up-tempo stuff, but there’s also a few big ballads. Personally, I love those. There’s nothing like a good, heart-wrenching ballad. So, we’ve got a good variety on there, I feel like.”
Duncan collaborated with some world-class producers on the album, as well. “I worked with John Shanks and Mark Bright. It was an interesting combination. John’s done things from Sheryl Crow to Stevie Nicks to Alanis Morrisette, and things like that, and Mark’s done Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood and Blackhawk. It was an interesting combination, taking the rock and the country and putting it together. I think it turned out great. They worked great together. I heard Mark say that it was kind of like Christmas every day, and it really was. It was so exciting to be in the studio with those guys. There was never a bad moment. It was pretty magical. When we were finished, I was happy, but also sad at the same time. I will never again get to make a first record.”
One aspect of making the album that the singer was also very involved in was the songwriting. Duncan, who is one of Nashville’s fastest-rising tunesmiths, explains that “I wrote a lot for it, and have continued to write, but once the sessions were over, I kind of took a break from it.” She says she is ready to take the music to the people. “Performing is definitely number one…getting to get out there and meet the fans.” Hopefully, with the hard work that Duncan continues to put in, she’s going down the Right Road indeed!
Source: LimeWire Music Blog
