Two-time IBMA award winner Heather Berry Mabe has one of the most exceptional bluegrass voices today. Also a two-time SPBGMA female vocalist of the year nominee, she has walked away with awards since age twelve.
Heather and her husband, banjo player and multi-instrumentalist Tony Mabe, formed Red Camel Collective, which most fans will recognize as Junior Sisk’s backing band. Along with fellow bandmates mandolinist Jonathan Dillon and bassist Curt Love, they signed on with their new record label, Pinecastle Records.
“When we were talking about making a record and looking for a label,” Heather explains, “Pinecastle was one of the first names that came up. We had heard that they are great to work with.”
Heather called up her friend, singer Dale Ann Bradley. “She couldn't say enough good about Ethan Burkhardt and the label. She said, ‘I tell ya what, I'm gonna call Ethan right now and tell him he needs to sign y'all!’ And she did.”
Looking for a chance to break out on their own, the band wanted to create something new. “I have a bunch of original songs, and a bunch of covers too, that just wouldn't fit Junior's style,” Heather says, adding, “Recording the songs I've written for RCC's project has been one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done.”
Dropping their first single, “Roll on Mississippi,” Heather says she had an idea for a bluegrass-style arrangement. “I wondered how it would do with a double time, bluegrassy vibe, like if it had originally been done by the Osborne Brothers,” recalls the Sherando, Virginia-born singer-songwriter.
Speaking about the original Charlie Pride hit, “Our debut single is a song I have loved since the first time I heard it. For those who have Charley Pride's original version, you know how magical it is. I knew the only way to cover that one would be to re-envision it.”
Heather gives props to her husband, Tony, and mandolinist Jonathan Dillon. “Tony and John going back and forth instrumentally just set the tone for the song and made it easy for me to tell the story. We are so happy that it was so well received, too. It stayed in the charts for six months since its release.”
Heather calls their latest release, “Sincerity,” unique. “I don't know where the melody came from! It's so different from anything I've ever sung or wrote. John said it sounded Middle Eastern when he heard it for the first time!” She laughs.
“I had woken up at about 3 in the morning, and in my spirit, I just heard plain as day one word, sincerity,” recalls Heather. “When I got up the next morning, I couldn't get that word out of my mind. I just kept thinking about it and its meaning. I was driving to town to run some errands, and the first line to the song just came to me.”
When asked about the band’s name Red Camel Collective, “We wanted a unique name and something that would pay homage to Junior Sisk, being as we are all members of his band. One of my favorite songs [Sisk] ever did is called ‘The Man in Red Camels,’ written by Junior's cousin Timmy Massey and Rick Pardue.”
Heather says she sought refuge in songwriting after a tragic event. “In 2021, my husband Tony completely lost his sight. It has been the most challenging thing either one of us has ever faced. To say our lives were completely changed would be an understatement. I've written here and there for years, but never so much as I have in the past couple of years.”
When it comes to music, Heather explains, “Tony encourages me, and I encourage him. I love playing my original music for him. There is no one on earth who believes in me more than he does, and I feel the exact same about him.”
Heather and Tony’s faith has been a huge help to them. “My faith in the Lord influences my music because it influences every part of who I am. His goodness is the reason why I can sing, even in the hardest of times. I want, above all, in music and every aspect of my life, to reflect His light and His love.”
As for the highly anticipated album, Heather says, “At the time we are doing this interview, we don't have a release date for the album. We are shooting for early 2025.”
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