Biography
In the early 2010s the Nashville singer/songwriter trio Pistol Annies stepped forward as self-styled modern outlaws who reached the summit of the charts without external backing, thanks to a pair of albums that earned widespread critical praise. At the moment of their first release Miranda Lambert already enjoyed major stardom, while Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley were known chiefly for their behind-the-scenes songwriting work. Without major promotional support or a hit single, the 2011 album Hell on Heels still opened at number one on the country chart, received gold certification, and established the three women as creative equals, each contributing her own distinct perspective. Although no new recordings appeared through the middle of the decade, the members kept writing together on their separate solo projects until they regrouped for the 2018 album Interstate Gospel, which earned a Grammy nomination. Their first release of the following decade arrived in 2021 with the holiday project Hell of a Holiday.
Miranda Lambert met Ashley Monroe while writing material for her 2009 album Revolution, on which Monroe secured credits for “Me and Your Cigarettes” and “Heart Like Mine,” beginning a lasting partnership. Monroe’s publisher later introduced her to Angaleena Presley, a Kentucky songwriter signed to the same company. Presley joined Lambert on “Fastest Girl in Town,” a track from the 2011 album Four the Record, while Monroe placed “Better in the Long Run” on the same record; before that November release the three announced they had formed Pistol Annies. They debuted on the Academy of Country Music’s Girls’ Night Out: Superstar Women of Country television special in April 2011, issued the single “Hell on Heels” the next month, and delivered the full album Hell on Heels in August. The set entered Billboard’s Country Albums chart at number one and reached number five on the Top 200 before earning gold status. Over the next two years the group supplied vocals for recordings by the Chieftains, Jewel, and Lambert’s then-husband Blake Shelton, and contributed “Run Daddy Run” to the soundtrack The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond. Their rising profile also secured Ashley Monroe a Warner Nashville deal that yielded Like a Rose in March 2013.
Two months after that release Pistol Annies returned with Annie Up, which debuted at number two on the Country Albums chart; its lead single “Hush Hush” reached number 43 on Country Airplay, marking the trio’s first appearance on any country chart. The supporting tour ended early in June 2013 and the band entered an unofficial hiatus. Presley signed with Slate Creek Records and issued her debut album American Middle Class in 2014. That same year Lambert released her sixth album Platinum, which contained two songs co-written with Monroe. Monroe’s 2015 album The Blade closed with the Lambert credit “I’m Good at Leaving.” Lambert’s 2016 double album The Weight of These Wings included two additional tracks co-written with Monroe. All three members appeared on “Dreams Don’t Come True,” the opening song of Presley’s 2017 album Wrangled, providing the first clear sign of an eventual reunion. The group later supplied a version of “Tulsa Time” to the 2017 Don Williams tribute Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams, and Presley co-wrote a track on Monroe’s fourth album Sparrow, which appeared in April 2018. That November the trio returned with Interstate Gospel, earning its first Grammy nomination for Best Country Album at the 62nd annual ceremony in 2020. Over the next couple of years the members concentrated on solo work before resuming Pistol Annies activity with the 2021 Christmas album Hell of a Holiday.
Miranda Lambert met Ashley Monroe while writing material for her 2009 album Revolution, on which Monroe secured credits for “Me and Your Cigarettes” and “Heart Like Mine,” beginning a lasting partnership. Monroe’s publisher later introduced her to Angaleena Presley, a Kentucky songwriter signed to the same company. Presley joined Lambert on “Fastest Girl in Town,” a track from the 2011 album Four the Record, while Monroe placed “Better in the Long Run” on the same record; before that November release the three announced they had formed Pistol Annies. They debuted on the Academy of Country Music’s Girls’ Night Out: Superstar Women of Country television special in April 2011, issued the single “Hell on Heels” the next month, and delivered the full album Hell on Heels in August. The set entered Billboard’s Country Albums chart at number one and reached number five on the Top 200 before earning gold status. Over the next two years the group supplied vocals for recordings by the Chieftains, Jewel, and Lambert’s then-husband Blake Shelton, and contributed “Run Daddy Run” to the soundtrack The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond. Their rising profile also secured Ashley Monroe a Warner Nashville deal that yielded Like a Rose in March 2013.
Two months after that release Pistol Annies returned with Annie Up, which debuted at number two on the Country Albums chart; its lead single “Hush Hush” reached number 43 on Country Airplay, marking the trio’s first appearance on any country chart. The supporting tour ended early in June 2013 and the band entered an unofficial hiatus. Presley signed with Slate Creek Records and issued her debut album American Middle Class in 2014. That same year Lambert released her sixth album Platinum, which contained two songs co-written with Monroe. Monroe’s 2015 album The Blade closed with the Lambert credit “I’m Good at Leaving.” Lambert’s 2016 double album The Weight of These Wings included two additional tracks co-written with Monroe. All three members appeared on “Dreams Don’t Come True,” the opening song of Presley’s 2017 album Wrangled, providing the first clear sign of an eventual reunion. The group later supplied a version of “Tulsa Time” to the 2017 Don Williams tribute Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams, and Presley co-wrote a track on Monroe’s fourth album Sparrow, which appeared in April 2018. That November the trio returned with Interstate Gospel, earning its first Grammy nomination for Best Country Album at the 62nd annual ceremony in 2020. Over the next couple of years the members concentrated on solo work before resuming Pistol Annies activity with the 2021 Christmas album Hell of a Holiday.
Albums
Singles
