The first time I heard “The Orchard” by Jada Star and her aunt Dolly was at Knoxville’s Bijou Theatre and it immediately inspired me to create a video about my own family. I love my family and the history of their farm in Cotton Plant, Mississippi. There are so many memories attached to that land for all of us. The mailbox in front of the old house still bears my great-grandfather’s name (I was named after him). I spent several Sundays at the farm with my grandparents going through family pictures going back generations (for this video, but also to create a digital archive of all the pictures they have). I wanted to create a video that celebrated part of my family tree and I’m so proud of how it turned out. I originally planned to hold onto this until Thanksgiving, but I just couldn’t wait to share it. Thank you, Jada, for writing such a moving song, and one of my new favorites.
“Our family tree becomes an orchard calling for us to sing their song. Their memory goes on.” 🧡
“The Orchard” is from Dolly’s upcoming family album, Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables, which will be released November 15, 2024, by Owepar Records.