Abbie Gardner is a fiery dobro player with an infectious smil e. Whether performing solo or with Americana darlings Red Molly\, her tale s of love and loss\, both gritty and sweet\, are propelled by her impeccab le slide guitar chops. As an award-winning songwriter\, captivating vocali st\, and a world-class lap style dobro player\, she has an unmistakable so und all her own. This is masterfully captured on her 2022 CD “DobroSinger. ” The record made it to #11 on the Billboard Blues Charts and #2 on the Fo lk DJ Charts\, receiving rave reviews in Bluegrass Unlimited\, Acoustic Gu itar Magazine and American Songwriter. It’s a raw intimate recording full of blues\, ballads and the ache of the unknown. It’s quite a contrast to h er previous CD\, which featured a co-write with Chris Stapleton and leaned on full band production. Abbie stands strong as a solo act and has opened for Lori McKenna and Martina McBride.

Acoustic Guitar Magazine sa ys\, “sheer brilliance and power … her evocative guitar is a second voice throughout\, sometimes singing in unison\, in harmony other times\, or ans wering as in a conversation with the singer. The playing and singing are b oth impeccable and loaded with personality. You can hear every nuance of t he slide\, smooth one moment or rattling slightly at the end of a phrase l ike punctuation\; and her intimate\, pitch-perfect vocals—wistful\, playfu l\, confessional—sound like they’re dancing with the guitar.”

Her background is as varied as the songs she writes. Her father\, Herb Gardner \, is a stride pianist and dixieland trombonist. Abbie didn’t get into mus ic school on her original instrument (flute)\, but graduated summa cum lau de with a degree in Occupational Therapy. She gradually found her way back to music in Boston’s folk music scene.

During the pandemic\, Abbi e started teaching free Woodshed dobro lessons in her backyard and posting them to YouTube. Helping ot her people fan the flames of their creativity has always been a nice balan ce to performing. She has taught in person at Nashville Dobro Camp\, ResoS ummit\, Kaufman Kamp\, Rockygrass Academy\, and Roots Music Camp. Then for Songwriting\, she’s taught at New England Songwriters Retreat\, Swannanoa Gathering\, Summer Songs\, and Moab Folk Camp. Students can check out her month-long\, small group virtual songwr iting classes and her downloadab le “Dobro from Scratch” course.

“Not only a first-rate Dobro playe r but a songwriter to be reckoned with.” –John Platt\, WFUV.

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