Flashback to August 2011, when the Pistol Annies released their debut album Hell On Heels.
With already having their own solo careers, Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley came together to form the Pistol Annies, and on August 23rd 2011, the trio released their debut album, Hell on Heels. Miranda admits that the formation of the band wasn’t really too complicated, “Sittin’ on the couch, I’m at my farm in Oklahoma, Ashley and I were writin’ songs, and we wrote a couple songs that are now on the record that sort of sparked this idea of bein’ in a girl band. Called Ang — and she had introduced me to Angaleena’s music — and just loved it…fell in love with it. And so we asked Ang, ‘You want to be in a girl band?’ I mean, literally, it just went from the couch to this.” One of the major things that drew fans to the Pistol Annies and the album Hell On Heels was the way the music paid homage to classic country. Angaleena says that she and her fellow Annies simply drew inspiration from their musical influences, “Miranda basically worships Merle [Haggard], I worship Loretta [Lynn], and Ashley basically worships Dolly [Parton], and so, that’s what we grew up listening to, and that’s what we love. I think that in our solo careers we’ve expressed ourselves, but there’s power in numbers, and I feel like with this record we’re just brave to the power of three.” Ashley says there was a natural flow to creating the songs that ended up on Hell On Heels, “the kind of cool thing and kind of scary thing about it is we just wrote these songs. We didn’t think about it. We just wrote ’em. And then, you know, the band and the producers matched the music surrounding it to the songs and to the lyrics of the song, so it just happened like that naturally, which is amazing because that’s…we’re all inspired by 30-years-ago country. That’s what we’re all influenced by, and so, the fact that we created somethin’ that hopefully can be compared to that is a huge, huge compliment.”
When forming the Pistol Annies, each member adopted an Annie nickname, Ashley became known as “Hippie Annie,” Angaleena is “Holler Annie,” and Miranda is “Lone Star Annie.”
Two years later, the Pistol Annies would get together again and release their second album Annie Up. Just in the past couple of weeks rumors have started that the Pistol Annies are thinking of making a come back thanks to a interview in Billboard magazine with Miranda Lambert who hinted that new music from the group might arrive next year.
In 2011 Miranda Lambert talked about the origin of Pistol Annies. (:20)
“Sittin’ on the couch, I’m at my farm in Oklahoma, Ashley and I were writin’ songs, and we wrote a couple songs that are now on the record that sort of sparked this idea of bein’ in a girl band. Called Ang — and she had introduced me to Angaleena’s music — and just loved it…fell in love with it. And so we asked Ang, ‘You want to be in a girl band?’ I mean, literally, it just went from the couch to this.”
In 2011 Angaleena Presley shared some of the influences who have helped to shape Pistol Annies. (:25)
“I think all of our major influences are those classic country artists. Like, Miranda basically worships Merle [Haggard], I worship Loretta [Lynn], and Ashley basically worships Dolly [Parton], and so, that’s what we grew up listening to, and that’s what we love. I think that in our solo careers we’ve expressed ourselves, but there’s power in numbers, and I feel like with this record we’re just brave to the power of three.”
In 2011 Ashley Monroe talked about the music of Pistol Annies. (:28)
“We didn’t really set any intentions is the kind of cool thing and kind of scary thing about it is we just wrote these songs. We didn’t think about it. We just wrote ’em. And then, you know, the band and the producers matched the music surrounding it to the songs and to the lyrics of the song, so it just happened like that naturally, which is amazing because that’s…we’re all inspired by 30-years-ago country. That’s what we’re all influenced by, and so, the fact that we created somethin’ that hopefully can be compared to that is a huge, huge compliment.”
In 2011 Miranda Lambert responded to the success of the debut album from the Pistol Annies. (:18)
“It’s so crazy, you have this little dream with your girlfriends of starting a band together and putting out a record, and writing songs, and having fun…and we did all that and people actually like it, and are buying it! So, this is a huge blessing. It has exceeded my expectations big time!”
Produced Rewind 30 & 60 versions (Non-Announcer versions labeled with “NO VT”)
Produced Rewind August 2011 Pistol Annies 30 seconds
Produced Rewind August 2011 Pistol Annies 30 seconds (NO VT version)
“It’s a country music rewind”
“to this week in 2011”
“6 years ago, Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angalenna Presley, better known as the Pistol Annies released their debut album Hell On Heels”
“Music from the Pistol Annies is available now”
Produced Rewind August 2011 Pistol Annies 60 seconds
Produced Rewind August 2011 Pistol Annies 60 seconds (NO VT version)
“It’s a country music rewind”
“to this week in 2011”
“6 years ago, Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angalenna Presley, better known as the Pistol Annies released their debut album Hell On Heels”
“Music from the Pistol Annies is available now”