We’ve launched a new segment on Radio Heartland called Classic Americana. Every Friday around 11 a.m. Central, we’ll pull a special track from the archives or from deep in the shelves to spotlight a particular artist or song.

This week, we spotlight singer-songwriter Suzy Bogguss, whose birthday is December 30. Bogguss was born in Aledo, Illinois — coincidentally, the same town that singer-songwriter Margo Price is from; in fact, Price, in her 2022 memoir Maybe We’ll Make It, referred to Suzy Bogguss as “a hometown hero.”

While Bogguss was a student at Illinois State University, she began playing at coffeehouses and clubs, and as soon as she finished her degree, Bogguss hit the road, playing gigs throughout the Midwest. Eventually, Bogguss moved to Nashville, where she performed in clubs, and later at Dolly Parton’s theme park, Dollywood. It was through her work at Dollywood that a Nashville music executive heard Suzy Bogguss and signed her to a record deal in 1987. Bogguss released some singles and two albums that earned positive reviews but not much else. It was her third album, however, 1991’s Aces, that springboarded Suzy Bogguss’s career, giving her four hit singles, including its lead single, “Someday Soon,” a cover of a song written and recorded in the 1960s by Canadian folk duo Ian & Sylvia.

Suzy Bogguss has continued to turn out a stream of new work. Her latest album is Prayin’ for Sunshine, released on November 3, 2023.

External Link

Suzy Bogguss – official site