Gretchen Peters’ isles show

ONE OF Nashville’s most beloved and respected artists over the past two decades, Gretchen Peters, is coming to Shetland for the first time this summer.

Performing in a duo format with her husband Barry Walsh, Peters will perform material drawn from throughout a songwriting career that began in the 1990s. Support for Peters’ show at Mareel, on Tuesday 26 July, will come from Sheila Henderson.

The New York-born, Colorado-raised singer moved to Nashville in the late 1980s and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in October 2014 by singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, who described her as “both a songwriter and a poet [who] sings as beautifully as she writes”.

She has dueted with Candian pop-rocker Bryan Adams, and penned the song ‘Independence Day’, popularised by Martina McBride, as well as writing material performed by the likes of Shania Twain and Neil Diamond.

Her 2015 album ‘Blackbirds’ debuted at number one on the UK country chart and reached the top 40 UK pop chart, winning international album of the year and song of the year at the UK Americana Awards in February this year.

Neil Riddell of local promoters Ragged Wood thanked Andy Shearer, organiser of Perth’s Southern Fried Festival, for his help in making the show possible.

• Tickets to see Gretchen Peters live at Mareel on Tuesday 26 July are on sale now priced £18 (£15 concessions) from Shetland Box Office.