Music Phenom Ready for Break Out 
New Album Showcases 16-Year-Old's Virtuosity on Mandolin

For the moment, Sierra Hull is known mostly in the small world of blue grass music. But today her first album is being released. Now it's only a matter of time before she skyrockets into a major star. And, she’s only 16! But don’t let her age fool you. Hull is an amazing music phenom. Her skills on the guitar and mandolin are almost beyond comparison. Plus she has the looks and voice of an angel. She blows away Miley Cyrus. Country star Alison Krauss has taken her under her wing, and Hull’s record, Secrets, (Rounder) is astonishing.  Click here to read entire article.

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Mandolin prodigy Sierra Hull's vocal and instrumental talent belies her age
05/06/08

"Secrets"

Sierra Hull (Rounder)

Combine the angelic voice of Alison Krauss with the fiery mandolin picking of Rhonda Vincent and you have the sound of Sierra Hull on "Secrets."

It doesn't hurt that the 16-year-old Krauss protege is backed by members of Krauss' band Union Station, or that Hull's co-producer is Station's Ron Block. But it's still her album.

She hits the ground running on the title track with a vicious mandolin lick followed by her driving vocal. It's the only cut that includes all four members of Union Station - Dan Tyminski on vocals, Block on guitar and vocals, Barry Bales on bass and Jerry Douglas on dobro. Click here to read more.

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Sierra Hull's debut
Tennessee mandolin starlet Sierra Hull held a nice album release party at ASCAP in Nashville yesterday afternoon. Her debut on Rounder Records, entitled Secrets is a validation of all the hopes her fans have had for her since she emerged as a prodigious, contest-winning musician in her very early teens. Many of those fans are among the elite in bluegrass, including Alison Krauss. We got to produce this video bio of Sierra that shows her trying to balance the life of a normal 16-year-old high school junior with her new career as an in-demand touring and recording artist. She's a super person too, and we wish her the best of luck.

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Sierra’s “Secrets” revealed 

Time is ticking and May 6 is almost here. Mark it as a date in Bluegrass History.

Why the big fuss? May 6, 2008 marks the date 16 year old mandolin prodigy Sierra Hull releases “Secrets,” her first solo album on Rounder Records.

Sierra is a one of a kind, pure gem with an astounding talent for playing our beloved Bluegrass. The technical knowledge she possesses for Mandolin and Guitar is decades beyond her years.

But wait, it gets better. The girl sings with emotion, phrasing and intonation that I can only compare to the singing on Alison Krauss’ 1987 album “Too Late To Cry.” To tell the truth, I have not heard a young female in the Bluegrass genre since Alison’s ‘87 release with more promise than Miss Hull.

“Secrets” does not disappoint the hype surrounding its release. Co-Produced by Hull and Ron Block of Alison Krauss and Union Station fame, the album is incredible. Yes, “Secrets” is jam packed with great pickers. Sierra and Block recruited some help from the guys in Union Station, Tony Rice, Chris Jones, Jim VanCleve, Stuart Duncan, Rob Ickes, Jason Moore and Cory Walker, an incredible 18 year old banjo picker that also plays in Sierra’s band Highway 111.

The real story here is Sierra herself. There is not a track on this album I do not love. It’s the first album in a while where I have not found myself using the fast forward button on the old CD player. Just one listen to the songs “The Hard Way,” and You’ll fall in love with this album. The song is mature, mellow, tasteful and beautiful.

The tune “Hullarious,” written by Sierra, is a lesson in flawless mandolin picking. Another beautiful song on the album, written by Sierra and Stacey Hull is “Two Winding Rails.” It is another testament to this young lady’s seemingly endless talent.

Obviously this is an album I believe everyone should have on the shelf and in the CD player. Sierra Hull is the real deal. “Secrets” is the first stepping stone of what I believe to be a future legend.

I am so looking forward to listening and watching Sierra Hull’s career blossom.

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Music Review: Mandolin prodigy‘s talent belies her age 
Staff and agencies
05 May, 2008

By TOM GARDNER, For The Associated Press

Sierra Hull, "Secrets" (Rounder): Combine the angelic voice of Alison Krauss with the fiery mandolin picking of Rhonda Vincent and you have the sound of Sierra Hull on "Secrets." 

She hits the ground running on the title track with a vicious mandolin lick followed by her driving vocal. It‘s the only cut that includes all four members of Union Station — Dan Tyminski on vocals, Block on guitar and vocals, Barry Bales on bass and Jerry Douglas on dobro. 

The lone ballad amid the 13 tracks is a lovely version of "The Hard Way," far softer than Keith Urban‘s grittier one. Hull also delivers a snappy bluegrass update of "Everybody‘s Somebody‘s Fool," which Connie Francis took to No. 1 almost a half century ago. Hull dodges the youthful temptation to oversing or overplay and instead leads what amounts to a track-by-track jam session with some of the most talented musicians in bluegrass. It‘s dominated by her mandolin and vocal dynamics few artists of any age ever master. 

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Sierra Hull EPK

Learn more about Sierra in this video bio.

http://www.rounder.com/sierrahull/epk/

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Sierra Hull spreads her wings: bluegrass music news

If you read The Tennessean — or if your manager does — you can become a star.

That's the lesson we've learned from 16-year-old Sierra Hull, who landed the part of the Rev. Billy Graham's sister, Catherine, in the movie about him that's being shot here.

In February, I ran a column announcing that a movie on a young Billy Graham would be shot in Middle Tennessee. In that column, music supervisor Anastasia Brown said she was looking for a young girl with a voice like Alison Krauss. I asked people who knew of interested girls to send me packages containing photos and CDs. I received several armfuls of packages that I forwarded to Anastasia.

Claire Armbruster of Nashville's Keith Case & Associates saw the item and immediately thought of one of her firm's clients, Sierra. Click here to read entire article!

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Sierra Hull is an Inspiration
Bluegrass Music News- March 11, 2008:

It is rare that a young musician will take that spark of wonder that first inspired them to cradle an instrument and cultivate it to the point of full-blown virtuosity. Rarer still is for that virtuosity to emerge as just one facet of a well-rounded musical intelligence. Only sixteen years old as of this writing, Sierra Hull displays instrumental facility and musical maturity well beyond her age with Secrets, her national debut album. Hull began playing mandolin at age eight, and quickly became noted on the national festival scene for her fluid, inventive picking - winning several mandolin and guitar championships in the process. Click here to read entire article.

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Secrets: The Amazing Sierra Hull

Every once and a while, a bluegrass prodigy comes along that just stands above the rest. Ricky Skaggs was one. Alison Krauss was another. We've watched as Chris Thile perfected his music. These are the young artists that keep the music alive for at least another generation. Their music is just a notch above the norm - sometimes many notches. Such is the case with 16-year old Sierra Hull who, along with Union Station's Ron Block have produced Secrets on Rounder Records. I've been listening to the music on this debut release for a couple of days now and, well, it is sincerely amazing.

Sierra is getting a big boost from Alison Krauss and her band, Union Station. Most of the musicians on the album are Union Station members. Ron Block even co-produced the album. But, the artists on the album are not limited to just Union Station. You'll also find Tony Rice, Stuart Duncan, Jim VanCleve, Rob Ickes, Chris Jones, Jason Moore and 17-year old banjoist Cory Walker who, by the way, is also in Hull's own Highway 111 band. With all this outstanding talent, you would expect an outstanding album. It's no secret that this group of artists are some of the best.  Click here for the entire article.

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Sierra Hull - Featured on Gibson "Backstage Pass" Online Article 
July 2007

A true prodigy and one of the youngest of the new players, 15-year-old Sierra Hull began playing mandolin at the age of eight and has since won numerous awards for her instrumental prowess. In 2002, she appeared twice at the Grand Ole Opry-performing the bluegrass-gospel classic "The Sea of Life" with her brother Cody, and accompanying bluegrass veteran
Mike Snider on the much-covered instrumental "Big Mon." That same year she also took the stage at Nashville's famous Ryman Auditorium, accompanying Alison Krauss and Union Station for a performance that aired live on CMT. Click here to read entire article.

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