Big Richard & Della Mae

Since exploding onto the Colorado scene in 2021, the four women of the supergroup Big Richard have been on a wild ride. Although they showed up to their first gig armed with homemade puff paint t-shirts, a load of crass jokes, and all dressed intentionally like Stevie Nicks, from the first few notes of their tight vocal harmonies, dazzling string virtuosity, and clever arrangements, no one had any choice but to take them seriously.


Determined to be more than a one-night stand, Big Richard hit the road. They slapped as hard as possible on the festival circuit, worked up their stamina on nationwide headlining tours, and left a wake of die-hard Big Richard Heads across the country swooning for their honest songwriting, chilling vocals, and fiddle-driven barn-burners.


Fueled by a steady diet of gas station snacks, Big Richard is currently touring their debut full-length studio album Girl Dinner, following a whirlwind year that included performances on PBS' the Cavern Sessions, NPR's World Cafe, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Delfest, Bourbon and Beyond, Jam Cruise, and New Year's Eve at the Ryman in Nashville.


They often refer to themselves as the gremlins of the bluegrass world, and the gremlins are: platinum recording artist Bonnie Sims, who rips the mandolin and smells like Willie Nelson's sock drawer; road dog Eve Panning, who toured extensively with the fiddle band Barrage and has trained her dog to murder on command; bassist Hazel Royer, plucked from the sidewalk in front of Berklee, can probably communicate with crows; and Dr. Joy Adams, who would just rather be skiing.

The GRAMMY-nominated string band was founded in 2010 and over the next decade and a half they’ve demonstrated to the roots music world, once and for all, that a band of all women is not, nor has ever been, a mere novelty. They remain at the forefront of the explosion of women instrumentalists and all-women acts in roots music and their impact is striking and measurable – not just in North America, but around the globe.


Now 15 years since their origin, Della Mae can boast their strongest lineup yet. Founders Kimber Ludiker and Celia Woodsmith are joined by guitarist and songwriter Avril Smith and vocalist and three-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year Vickie Vaughn.