The Barrett Family Band travels the road in Winnie, their trusty RV, playing bluegrass at bars, festivals, and any other kind of venue that likes footstompin’ music. They’re scheduled to play at the Station Inn in Nashville when Dad, the family’s lead singer, comes down with laryngitis. Suddenly the focus is on sixteen year-old Bird, usually the fiddle-player and back-up singer, to take the lead. Nervously, Bird sings one song that she knows very well because she wrote it herself. As it happens, the president of a large record company is in the audience, and he offers Bird a deal.
Fans of the television show Nashville will know it’s a big deal when Bird is invited to play with other young musicians at the Bluebird Cafe. Like Scarlett on the show, Bird uses the words from her journal to compose songs. Her first big hit is “Notice Me.” What does it sound like? Well, no one will really know until the end of September. That’s when the winner of Justine Magazine’s Wildflower Talent Search is announced. Author Whitaker includes the lyrics and sheet music for “Notice Me” in the book. It’s up to the contestants to display their talent through interpretation and performance.
For now, curious readers can listen to “Girl in a Country Song” by Maddie and Tae. Whitaker says:
This is exactly the sort of song I can see Bird writing. I love that these two girls, Maddie and Tae, write music from their hearts. This song really says something – boldly. I picked up on a few of the references about the male heavy world of country music and these girls weren’t shy about it. They are straight calling guys out.
-Diane Colson, currently reading Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer