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Chris Pierce has been a singular voice in American roots music for more than two decades. Over the course of eight solo albums, many side projects, and more guest appearances than most could do in one lifetime, his powerful songs have given voice to the voiceless and shed light into dark and hidden corners of the American dream. Pierce’s newest record, Songs For The Heavy Hearted, captures moments in the lives of everyday people as they struggle with crisis and encapsulates everything that has been so powerful about his music to date.
At its core, Songs For The Heavy Hearted is a diary of — and love letter to — freedom fighters everywhere; its constant refrain is that love, joy, hope, and softness are not things we need to sacrifice to fight the good fight. In fact, they are integral.
As Pierce explains, “Even as we refuse to take our rights for granted, it’s getting harder to find a little bit of light to keep us going. Whatever happens, we have to find a way to count our blessings and seek liberty for ourselves and fight for the liberty of others.”
These are lessons Pierce learned early on. Growing up in an interracial household when his parents’ marriage still wasn’t recognized as legal in 16 states, he witnessed a cross burned on his front lawn as a child. “I held optimism near to my heart, even with the stuff we went through as a family, we never gave way to despair.”
When he was 15 and developed a rare hearing disorder called Otosclerosis that led to total hearing loss (before a surgery that regained partial hearing in one ear), he did not back down. “That could have been it for me, but instead I learned resilience,” Pierce says. “I turned a crisis into a superpower. It’s what you have to do.”
With supporting performances from Allison Russell, Steve Earle, Grey DeLisle, and Garrison Starr, Songs For The Heavy Hearted embodies the belief that ‘we shall overcome’ and the sentiment has never sounded more uplifting and within reach.
Over decades of touring, Pierce has performed as both a headliner and sought-after support act alongside Neil Young, B.B. King, Al Green, Steve Earle, Seal, Aaron Neville, Jill Scott, Allison Russell, the Blind Boys of Alabama, and many others. Pierce has appeared on NPR’s World Cafe, Mountain Stage, American Folk Show and has had performances at Newport Folk Festival, AmericanaFest, Folk Alliance, MerleFest, Bottlerock, Calgary Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, and more.
“One of America’s most talented, gifted, and affecting artists.” – AMERICAN SONGWRITER
“I haven’t been so deeply, deeply moved by just a person and their guitar like this in a long time.” – NPR MUSIC
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