Tracing his roots to Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, and fellow progressive country wordsmiths who balanced sharp lyricism with durable chord sequences, Aaron Raitiere brings an easygoing, expansive confidence to his work. That approach surfaces clearly in the material he composed professionally, earning placements on Miranda Lambert releases and securing a 2020 Grammy for "I'll Never Love Again," the track he wrote alongside Lady Gaga for the A Star Is Born soundtrack. Those strengths stand out even more on his own releases, above all the 2022 full-length Single Wide Dreamer, which he recorded with co-producers Miranda Lambert and Anderson East.
Born in Danville, Kentucky, Aaron Raitiere received a BA in American Studies from Cornell University and an MFA in Recording Arts from Middle Tennessee State University. There he connected with Anderson East, another emerging songwriter who later became both a collaborator and the link to his initial industry opportunity. While Dave Cobb was producing Delilah, East's debut for a major label, Raitiere contributed four songs to the project; Cobb responded by offering him a publishing contract through Low Country Sound. That same year a house fire destroyed everything he owned. He recovered by joining East's touring crew to sell merchandise during the artist's run of dates supporting Sturgill Simpson.
Raitiere soon expanded his profile beyond that circle, placing songs on Miranda Lambert's 2016 double album The Weight of These Wings and, in 2018, on projects by Montgomery Gentry, the Oak Ridge Boys, Ashley Monroe, Dillon Carmichael, and Lori McKenna. Also in 2018 he joined Lady Gaga to write "I'll Never Love Again" for Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born remake; the song received the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 2020. By then he had already written material for Robert Randolph, Randy Rogers Band, Chris Shiflett, the Lone Bellow, and Ashley McBryde.
Throughout those years he continued shaping his first album alongside producers Anderson East and Miranda Lambert. The finished Single Wide Dreamer, issued in February 2022, includes appearances from Bob Weir, Robert Randolph, Ashley Monroe, Foy Vance, and Natalie Hemby.
