Life in small town Marion, Arkansas sounds idyllic in songwriter Bailey Bigger’s telling: a first gig in a diner in 7th grade, working on a farm while in high school, family history going back generations. But the truth—and Bailey is so dedicated to truth in her songwriting that she has a three tattooed on the back of her left arm for three chords and the truth—is that the preternaturally observant twenty-year old didn’t quite fit in even as she loved the feeling that the whole town was her backyard.
That tension of coming of age in small town America while pursuing a larger world marks her debut EP on Big Legal Mess Records. “It was magical in a way,” she reflects, continuing, “We lived in my great-grandparents’ old house. I love the community part of it. You say your name to a stranger and they say, ‘Oh, you’re Eddie’s granddaughter, David’s daughter.’” When, as kids, her brother got a guitar for Christmas and she got a piano, she knew that she was destined to become a guitar-playing singer-songwriter so they negotiated an even trade.
Like two of her favorite writers Mary Oliver and Joan Didion, Bailey often writes about the grace of nature and the outdoor world—and she also shares their commitment to unflinching honesty. She says, “The best songs are super honest and you can tell when it’s super honest because somebody says something that’s so personal it’s never been said before.”
On “You, Somehow,” Bigger conjures classic country sounds and a modern writerly sensibility to create a love song that actually means something.
“‘You, Somehow’ is not only my story of finding something for the first time that healed me, and helped me on the road to understanding what it feels like to be loved genuinely, but it’s a love song for all the people who have also struggled to find that, and the ones who still haven’t yet,” she says. “It’s out there, and you deserve it.”
Who are some of your musical influences?
Joni Mitchell is a huge one. I think her form of songwriting and vulnerability as an artist inspires me more than anyone. John Prine is another, and John Denver as well, being the earliest influence on me of these three.
Do you have any plans to tour this year?
I don’t have any set plans yet of an official tour. I’m working hard on it though. It’s always been my goal to go on the road and play live for people. I think that makes the best human connection in music. I miss all the traveling I did before Covid.
What have you missed about touring?
The thing I miss the most about touring is traveling alone, honestly. It’s so good for my mind. And I constantly meet new friends along the way, but then as soon as it’s over I’m back in my car with the silence, reflecting on it all while driving through a place I’ve never been to. Leads to a lot of writing.
Is there an overarching theme to Coyote Red?
I didn’t necessarily write this album as a concept piece, but I feel like it almost became one without that intention. It’s just a true glimpse into what is my normal day to say life, and things I’ve struggled with as a human on this planet, as well as things I think everyone struggles with in their own way. It’s kind of a call to unity, to all be imperfect and human together for a moment, reflecting on our own flaws for a second, and not everyone else’s.
How did you choose the two songs to cover for the record?
So I met Jed Zimmerman (the writer of “Black Eyed Susan”) back in 2019 through Mark [Edgar Stuart]. I was instantly in tune with his songwriting and his energy and became a fan quickly. We were all hanging out later that night and I mentioned something about wanting to sing “Black Eyed Susan.” It’s a moment that’s hard to describe but he basically gave me the official songwriters go ahead and was all in for that song to become mine in my own way. It felt like me, I couldn’t pass it up.
As for the Jesse Winchester tune, I grew up singing that song as a child. I’m from Arkansas, but Mississippi is almost a better way to describe my area. Plus, as much as my parents had me in Clarksdale and Tupelo, Starkville and Oxford, Mississippi is home. But that was one of the first songs I learned to play at nine years old. My mom loved it when Wyly and I would sing that one together. Finally I decided it’d be perfect for the record. Once again, it just felt right. Then of course Mark added in that Jesse was a Memphis guy. This was his home too. Made it feel all serendipitous.