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The Story
“The Painted Lady Of The Plains” by songwriter James Maltese is a concept album – twelve songs, one story. Produced by multi-platinum songwriter/producer Kenny Lamb, the album features GRAMMY®-winning musicians and timeless songs that tell a tale from the heart of the American west.
Performed by Trey Hensley
Trey Hensley is a GRAMMY®-winning musician and singer/songwriter who was voted the 2023 Guitar Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association.
He has been referred to as “Nashville’s hottest young player” by Acoustic Guitar magazine. In addition to a storied solo career and a duo career with award-winning resophonic guitarist Rob Ickes (NPR has called them “two musical phenoms”), Trey has worked with a diverse list of artists including Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Marty Stuart, Earl Scruggs, Dolly Parton, Taj Mahal, Tommy Emmanuel, Rodney Crowell, Old Crow Medicine Show, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Little Feat, Leftover Salmon and REO Speedwagon.
Trey can be heard on the latest album by Ickes & Hensley, Living In A Song and collaborating with Rob Ickes and Molly Tuttle on “John Deere Tractor” on the A Tribute To The Judds album; as a member of the Taj Mahal Sextet on the newly released recording, Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa; and with Alison Brown and Steve Martin on the song “Bluegrass Radio.”
Written by James Maltese
Nashville songwriter James Maltese weaves a personal thread of influences into his writing style. From Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt to Ernest Hemmingway and John Steinbeck, James has always been drawn to the writer’s writers – those crafters of stories that say it like it is with honest grit and realism.
Through music and literature, James became inspired by the stories and struggles of the men and women who pioneered the hard-lived days of the American west. From this came “The Painted Lady Of The Plains”, an original concept album that tells a story unearthed from the dust that still covers those times – when the core human qualities of love and hope were the textures and brush strokes that defined a world now framed in a poetic past.
James has been recognized in American Songwriter Magazine, is a semi-finalist in both the 2022 and 2023 International Songwriting Competition and won the 22nd Annual Nashville Songwriters Association International Song Contest Lyric-Only Contest.
THE Record Company for Songwriters
The Art
“The Cowboy Mona Lisa”
This haunting and beautiful painting by artist Mara Light brings to life the rich, complex textures of the woman whose story weaves through “The Painted Lady Of The Plains” album. An intimate portrait of a mysterious female figure, the image invites the question: “Who is the Painted Lady of the Plains?” This pairing of visual art with the art of songwriting creates the full experience. Both tell a tale.
About Mara Light:
Mara Light is an award-winning visual artist whose paintings have been commissioned by private and public collectors worldwide.