Two and a half years ago Memphians Jed Zimmerman and Kelley Mickwee sold their home, two cars, their furniture, took the money and placed a huge bet on themselves. They hired legendary Memphis producer and songwriter Keith Sykes to produce their first album, Lose To Win, bought an RV and hit the highway, touring nationally, as Jed and Kelley.

Living on the road, their bet is paying off. Songs from Lose to Win are receiving airplay on XM Radio’s X-Country station and Jed and Kelley have become darlings of the Texas and Southwestern music scene, playing the major Texas music venues and festivals. They also have a huge following in their hometown of Memphis, packing the venues they play.

Although reviewers have compared Jed and Kelley to Emmylou and Gram, George and Tammy, Loretta and Conway, Johnny and June, those comparisons are unfair. Jed and Kelley have their own unique and mature sound as easily recognizable as any of the afore mentioned duos and of the same sterling quality.

On their latest album, Songs To Take Home, the 20-something duo step into their own as fully mature artists and show what sets them apart from the herd. Zimmerman shows off his versatility and strengths as a songwriter and seems to be riding alongside the trails of greats such as John Prine, Gordon Lightfoot and Gillian Welch.

His song, “Joe”, is a musical character portrait in the same vein as Prine’s “Sam Stone” or Van Zandt’s “Tecumseh Valley.” “Joe” shows an empathy and awareness of the human condition rare in anyone, much less a 28-year old. Zimmerman’s gritty vocal keeps it real.

“ Bottles and Banjos” is a haunting, heartbreakingly beautiful waltz about loss that sounds as if it originated in the Appalachian Mountains 150 years ago. Mickwee’s startlingly clear, powerful and expressive voice knocks this one out of the park.

Zimmerman demonstrates his wicked musical sense of humor in “Back Home” a toe-tapping little murder ballad he co-wrote with Sykes. Imagine “The Long Black Veil” channeled through Nick Lowe.

Mickwee has a naturally clear, powerful voice, which she’s honed through seven years of intense vocal training and near constant touring. Impressive in her dynamic range, Mickwee could hold her own belting from the Broadway stage, with the great blues shouters, anyone. She most certainly is holding her own with the finest voices in country music today.

Mickwee’s percussive style of mandolin playing adds a sense of rhythmic excitement lacking in many duos, thus giving Jed and Kelley a following as a dance band throughout the Southwest.

A world-class songwriter coupled with a world-class voice and a work-ethic second to none make Jed and Kelley THE young act to keep an eye on.

Fetzer Mills, Jr.