ES Pearl Presents Baggage Flies Free is the latest collection of Appalachian sounds from the acclaimed Ed Snodderly, due to be released on 19th June 2026 on Majestic Records/Need to Know Music. Long celebrated, Snodderly is a recipient of the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance’s (SERFA) Lifetime Achievement Award; the third verse of his song The Diamond Stream was inscribed on the wall of the Hall of Honor in Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. A.P. Carter’s Will The Circle Be Unbroken is the only other song to be celebrated in this manner. His song Pearlie May was included on the GRAMMY-winning Slide Rule by Jerry Douglas, and he even had a brief appearance in the Coen Brothers’ much-loved movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? Over his fifty years in music and the arts, Ed Snodderly has shown great commitment to music and won over many fans.
For this new album, Snodderly had a simple aim: to write the best songs he could and to convey his love of music. The songs are delivered through a new persona: ES Pearl. Pearl is a family name: Snodderly’s grandma was Pearlie Belle, his mother was Willie Pearl, and Ed continued the tradition by naming his own daughter Lyra Pearl. After a lifetime devoted to music, and with Appalachia at the heart of his music, it feels fitting to celebrate his family tradition in this way. Through his engaging storytelling, Snodderly reveals aspects of his life and relationships in Eastern Tennessee.
Today’s video is a live recording of Fixing This Old Gate, a song that delves into the practicalities of real country living. Snodderly says of the song: “Fixing This Old Gate might be a new genre for fixing and instructional songs! Country music to a tee… how to fix something… make it last… fix the broken! Rural kind of living, making do with what you got and keeping it working.”
Snodderly’s warm and characterful voice is conversational and makes you feel like you’re in the room with him. There’s a real spark in his delivery – Snodderly looks like he’s enjoying himself, and that joy in the music is infectious. Most notable, though, is his wonderful work on the guitar; in intricate patterns, Snodderly’s gorgeous melody unfolds in bright notes like a flowing diamond musical stream, indeed. Enjoy.
