On September 10, 2021, fifteen Grammy Béla Fleck is set to release My Bluegrass Heart. It’s Fleck’s first bluegrass album in two decades and it features the banjo innovator alongside Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Jerry Douglas, Chris Thile, Molly Tuttle, David Grisman, Bryan Sutton, Sierra Hull, and Billy Strings. For those of us who wore out our copies of Drive, it’s a welcomed homecoming of sorts… and well worth the wait.

“Folks have been asking me, ‘Is there any straight bluegrass on this album?’” Fleck tells us. “This tune was included for exactly that reason. We premiered it at Telluride Bluegrass Festival with the House Band. The album version features Molly Tuttle and Sierra Hull, and it was originally titled ‘Seasick in the Mountains.’ Have you driven those mountain roads? I love how it turned out.”

The Fretboard Journal sat down with Fleck for a lengthy interview about the album, penned by Tristan Scroggins. In the interim, enjoy the video premiere for “Wheels Up,” featuring Fleck jamming with Sierra Hull, Michael Cleveland, Mark Schatz, Justin Moses and Bryan Sutton. It was captured July 2021 at the Farmette in Lyons, Colorado. 

Pre-order My Bluegrass Heart here.