Appalshop’s June Appal Recordings is proud to share the release of Featherbed, the debut album from Sarah Kate Morgan and Leo Shannon, on October 24, 2025. The first single, “Belle of Lexington”, is available for streaming now via all traditional streaming services, as well as June Appal’s Bandcamp page.
The seven-song album is the first collaborative release from two musicians well-known to bluegrass and old-time music fans. Fiddler Leo Shannon plays with a number of bands and musicians, including The Onlies, John Haywood, and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Sarah Kate Morgan is an esteemed dulcimer player, whose 2023 album Old Tunes & Sad Songs had her named as “One to Watch” by The Bluegrass Situation, which wrote that Morgan’s music “breathes new life into the histories of Appalachian music.” The pair also oversee Pick & Bow, a traditional music education program that provides free traditional music lessons to students of all ages in Letcher County and Knott County, Kentucky.
Featherbed is a collection of songs recorded across Appalachia, including live concert recordings from Charlottesville, Virginia; Lexington, Kentucky; the Cowan Community Center in Whitesburg, Kentucky; and Leo Shannon’s home. The album is named after the John Salyer fiddle tune (track 4) and “If I Were a Featherbed,” (track 3) written and originally performed by legendary folk musician John McCutcheon.
“Featherbed was born of our mutual love of playing and teaching traditional music in our communities,” says the duo. “Both of us received the gift of music as children; Leo was learning traditional old-time and Irish fiddling in Seattle while Sarah Kate was being introduced to the dulcimer in East Tennessee. Our paths converged in Eastern Kentucky, where we both relocated to pursue work as music teachers at non-profits. A dear friendship quickly blossomed and our musical collaboration soon followed. We hope our friendship and our devotion and love for teaching traditional music in our communities comes across in our music.”
Featherbed will be released on CD and digital via Bandcamp on October 24, 2025. To view the full tracklist and preorder the album, visit June Appal’s Bandcamp page.
October’s Pay-What-You-Want Album
A new month means a new Pay-What-You-Want album from the June Appal Recordings catalog! This month, we’re showcasing another great album for the fall season; Sparky Rucker’s Cold & Lonesome on a Train.
James “Sparky” Rucker has been singing songs and telling stories from the American tradition for over forty years. During his career as a folksinger and social activist, he has been on the boards of Sing Out! magazine, the John Henry Memorial Foundation, and the Southern Folk Cultural Revival Project. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with his wife, musician Rhonda Rucker, with whom he has performed throughout the U.S.
Stream or download the album (for any price you want!) on June Appal’s Bandcamp page.
