Biography

Hailing from Booneville, Mississippi, Breaking Grass is a bluegrass/country music ensemble. Made up of Cody Farrar (guitar, vocals), Britt Sheffield (bass, vocals), Jody Elmore (banjo, vocals), Zach Wooten (mandolin), and Tyler White (fiddle), the group formed in 2010 with an express desire to create music that traverses traditional country, bluegrass, and blues music with lyrics about love, belief, and life in rural America. Shortly after forming, the band began writing songs, rehearsing, and jamming together, leading to multiple performances locally and earning them an ever-growing fan base. The following year, the group met with a wave of success, winning first place in three bluegrass competitions: the Athens Old Time Bluegrass Band Competition, the State of Mississippi Bluegrass Band Championship, and the Uncle Dave Macon Days Bluegrass Band Competition in Tennessee. That same year, they independently released their eponymous debut record, which earned them more fans and bigger turnouts at live performances. In 2012, they self-released their sophomore effort, Running with the Moon. Online bluegrass fanzines praised the album for its eclectic songwriting, praising the Hank Williams, Sr. tribute "Strings" and "Witches of Harlan," featuring Jana Mougin of the band Fragment as particular standouts. 2012 also saw Breaking Grass win the B.O.R.N. (Born on the Rise Nationally) Award. In the following years, they signed with bluegrass specialists Mountain Fever Records and put out their debut release for the label, Just as Strong in 2014. Once again, the album was commended for its varied multitude of traditional sounds. Three years later, Breaking Grass returned with their fourth record, Warning Signs, again via Mountain Fever. The release marked the addition of multi-instrumentalist on Jody Elmore, replacing former member Thelton Vanderford on banjo and vocals. ~ Rob Wacey, Rovi