Nashville-based Australian musician Jedd Hughes who has played with many of the greats there, including Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell and Vince Gill, is set to release his third album, Nightshades, on May 2.
“I came over here to make my own music—that was my dream,” says the Quorn, Australia-raised, songwriter and guitarist. “I started suppressing that dream for a while.”
“Recently, I played a session with Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, and Sam Bush,” the in-demand session guitarist says, remarking on how far that path has taken him. “I was just sitting in the room, thinking, ‘How the hell did I get from the middle of nowhere to moments like these?’” The answer, of course, is a lot of hard work, but most importantly, a defined perseverance.
Hughes’ upcoming album, Night Shades—out May 2 on Truly Handmade Records – features his inspiring songwriting with beautiful guitar playing.
Hughes has released ‘Stay, Don’t Be Cruel,’ a song from Crowell’s deep catalog, co-written with fellow legend, Keith Sykes, as the album’s first single.
“Rodney played this for me at his studio one day and I immediately took it,” says Hughes. The up tempo ‘Stay, Don’t Be Cruel’ features sublime harmonies—thanks to Sarah Buxton.
Night Shades is also set to be one of the inaugural releases on Truly Handmade Records, a division of Guy Clark LLC formed by Clark’s grandchildren to support artists who, in their words, “live in the spirit of Guy Clark.”
The late Clark was not only one of the world’s favorite songwriters, but a dear friend to Hughes—the two co-write songs, shared stages and studios, and generally enjoyed each other’s company—making this release of Night Shades a full-circle moment for the pair.
Fans can stream or purchase “Stay, Don’t Be Cruel” HERE and pre-order or pre-save Night Shades ahead of its May release HERE.
Hughes will take the stage at Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley on May 4 to celebrate the release of Night Shades and will be hitting the road as a member of Vince Gill’s band throughout 2025.
Night Shades Tracklist:
Meet Me In the Dark
Underground
Night Shades
Stay, Don’t Be Cruel
Loving You Is The Only Way To Fly
Nothing’s Gonna Bring Me Down
Kill My Blues
Day After Day
Riff Raff
Aftermath