With deep roots in American folk and country/blues history, “Lulu Gal” is a traditional go-to for bluegrassers to this day. Meredith Moon first heard a hand-me-down version of it in 2016.
“My friend Dave Lang gave me a soundboard recording of Crooked Still’s show at Hugh’s Room in Toronto,” she says. “I added some lyrics that had been cooking on the back burner for a while, and out it came.”
The daughter of iconic Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, Moon absorbed more than her share of great music growing up. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist with an acclivity for the clawhammer banjo, she started writing at a young age. Moon spent her teens finding her voice the right way, busking across Canada from Halifax to Vancouver. She eventually graduated to larger audiences at major folk festivals, making her debut on NPR’s Mountain Stage this past year.
A studio version of “Lulu Girl” can be found on Moon’s latest LP, From Here To The Sea (Compass). Produced by Colin Linden (Bruce Cockburn, Keb’ Mo’), the album features bluegrass institution Jerry Douglas, among others. The taught live take debuting here was captured at Compass Studios in Nashville during this year’s AmericanaFest in September.
We’re proud to premiere Meredith Moon’s live “Lulu Gal” video.
—Hobart Rowland
See Meredith Moon live.
