Adelaide (Kaurna) native Kristy Cox has set a landmark precedent for the Australian country music scene, becoming the first local artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums Chart in the US.
READ MORE: My Countrytown: Kristy Cox – Mount Barker, SA
She achieved the feat with her critically acclaimed ninth album, Let It Burn, which arrived on May 31 via the independent Billy Blue Records. In taking out the #1 spot, Cox beat Swamp Dogg (whose own new album Blackgrass: From West Virginia To 125th Street debuted at #2), Chick Corea and Bela Fleck (with Remembrance at #3), Willie Nelson (Bluegrass at #4) and the Lost Dog Street Band (Survived at #5).
Noting her accomplishment in a press release, Cox said of the honour: “I am so completely blown away by the support I've received with the release of Let It Burn. This album is so special to me and I am extremely proud of it. Billboard #1 – somebody pinch me!”
The sentiment was shared by Cox’s longtime producer Jerry Salley, who said in a message of his own: “Kristy and I work really hard to find or write the best songs for every project we create, and we both sincerely feel this collection of 11 songs is the strongest she has ever recorded.
“I am grateful to have produced our eighth album in a row contributing to her illustrious career. Gaining more and more recognition and awards with every project, Let It Burn is burning up the charts as she continues to be one of the hottest and most popular vocalists in the bluegrass genre in America and her native Australia!”
