Molly Tuttle

Tuttle worked across singer, guitarist, musician, songwriter and banjoist. The registers place that work in folk music. This article rests on 99 catalogued compositions, 37 issued recordings, 9 digitised documents and 1 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

• Name — Molly Tuttle • Birth Name — Molly Rose Tuttle • Born — 14 January 1993 • Birthplace — Santa Clara, California, U.S. • Origin — Palo Alto, California, U.S. • Partner — Ketch Secor (2023–present; m. 2026) • Genre — * Bluegrass • Americana • country • folk • Occupation — * Singer • songwriter • musician • Instruments — * Vocals • guitar • banjo • Years Active — 2006–present • Label — Compass Nonesuch • Website — mollytuttlemusic.com

Tuttle was born in Santa Clara, California, and raised in Palo Alto. She began playing guitar at age eight. At age 11 she played onstage with her father Jack Tuttle, a bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and instructor. At age 15, she joined her family band The Tuttles with AJ Lee. Her siblings Sullivan (guitar) and Michael (mandolin), and mandolist AJ Lee were also in the band. In 2006, at age 13, Tuttle recorded The Old Apple Tree with her father, an album of duets. She graduated from Palo Alto High School in 2011. In 2011, the Tuttles self-released their Introducing the Tuttles album, and the Endless Ocean album in 2013. In 2012, Tuttle was awarded merit scholarships to the Berklee College of Music for music and composition. She received the Foundation for Bluegrass Music's first Hazel Dickens Memorial Scholarship, won the Chris Austin Songwriting Competition at the Merlefest Music Festival, and appeared with her father on A Prairie Home Companion.

While studying at the Berklee College of Music in 2014, Tuttle met and joined the all-female bluegrass group the Goodbye Girls which combined bluegrass, jazz, and Swedish folk music. Other members were Allison de Groot (banjo), Lena Jonsson (fiddle), and Brittany Karlson (bass). The group released an EP Going to Boston in 2014 and the album Snowy Side of the Mountain in 2016, and toured Jonsson's home country of Sweden several times. Tuttle also recorded Molly Tuttle & John Mailander, a duet EP with fiddler John Mailander. In 2018, she joined Alison Brown, Missy Raines, Sierra Hull, and Becky Buller in a supergroup. The quintet performed at the Rockygrass Festival in Lyons, Colorado, on July 27, 2018. Initially known as the Julia Belles, the group became known as the First Ladies of Bluegrass. Additional gigs were played at Analog at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville on September 18, 2018, and the International Bluegrass Music Association Wide Open Bluegrass Festival on September 28, 2018. Tuttle collaborated with Billy Strings on the songs "Sittin' on Top of the World" and "Billy in the Lowground." The First Ladies of Bluegrass were featured on the first single from a full-length album by Missy Raines, titled Royal Traveler, released in 2018 on Compass Records.

• Illustration — Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway on tour at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Virginia, on September 3, 2022 In 2015, Tuttle moved from Boston to Nashville. Her EP Rise was released in 2017 after a crowdfunding campaign. She wrote all of the songs on the seven-song album, which was produced by Kai Welch. Guests included Darrell Scott, the Milk Carton Kids, Kathy Kallick, and Nathaniel Smith. She formed the Molly Tuttle Band, which included Wes Corbett (banjo), Joe K. Walsh (mandolin), and Hasee Ciaccio (bass). Tuttle was selected by Buddy Miller to join his "Cavalcade of Stars" section of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass on the Rooster Stage on October 6, 2018. In 2017, Tuttle signed with Alison Brown's Compass Records. She released her debut album When You're Ready via Compass Records on April 5, 2019, and But I'd Rather Be with You again on Compass Records in August 2020.

In 2021, Tuttle assembled her new "dream" band, Golden Highway, including Shelby Means on bass, Kyle Tuttle on banjo, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on fiddle, and Dominick Leslie on mandolin, with everyone sharing or supporting vocals. In January 2022, Nonesuch Records announced a release by Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway titled Crooked Tree on April 1, 2022. Their follow-up album, City of Gold, was released in July 2023. Both won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.

Tuttle announced the dissolution of Golden Highway in May 2025, with many band members pursuing solo careers, and revealed a new, all-female band that would begin touring with her in July. Her new album, So Long Little Miss Sunshine, was set for release on August 15, 2025. The project was produced by Jay Joyce and preceded by the single "That's Gonna Leave a Mark".

Tuttle was diagnosed with alopecia areata when she was three years old, which quickly progressed to alopecia universalis, resulting in total body hair loss. Tuttle has been in a relationship with Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show since 2023, and married on August 22, 2026 in Santa Cruz, California.

• Title — Album details — Peak chart positions — Sales • US Heat — US Indie — US Bluegrass • When You're Ready — * Released: April 5, 2019 * Label: Compass * Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming — 5 — 11 — — — * US: 5,900 • But I'd Rather Be with You — * Released: August 28, 2020 * Label: Compass * Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming — — — — — — • Crooked Tree — * Released: April 1, 2022 * Label: Nonesuch * Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming — 12 — — — 1 • City of Gold — * Released: July 21, 2023 * Label: Nonesuch * Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming — 22 — — — 1 • So Long Little Miss Sunshine — * Released: August 15, 2025 * Label: Nonesuch * Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming — — — — — 1 • "—" denotes releases that did not chart

• Title — Album details — Peak chart positions — Sales • US Heat — US Indie — US Bluegrass • Rise — * Release date: October 13, 2017 * Label: Compass * Formats: CD, digital download — 18 — 47 — 2

• 2014: Going to Boston (self-released) • 2016: Snowy Side of the Mountain (self-released)

• 2014: Molly Tuttle and John Mailander EP (Back Studio)

• 2012: Introducing the Tuttles with AJ Lee (self-released) • 2013: Endless Ocean (self-released)

• 2007: The Old Apple Tree (Back Studio)

• Title — Year — Peak chart positions — Album • US AAA • "That's Gonna Leave a Mark" — 2025 — 13 — So Long Little Miss Sunshine • "The Highway Knows" — 35

• 2015: Mile Rocks - Mile Rocks and Friends (Audio and Video Labs) • 2017: AJ Lee - AJ Lee (self-released) • 2017: Korby Lenker - Thousand Springs (Relativity) • 2017: Bobby Osborne - Original (Compass) • 2017: Billy Strings - Turmoil & Tinfoil (Apostol) • 2019: Old Crow Medicine Show - "Live at the Ryman" (Columbia) • 2021: Béla Fleck - "My Bluegrass Heart" (Renew) • 2024: Orville Peck - "Papa Was a Rodeo" • 2025: Ringo Starr - "I Live for Your Love" • 2025: Ringo Starr - "Look Up" • 2025: Ringo Starr - "Can You Hear Me Call"

Molly Tuttle is recorded with the occupation songwriter. Classed in the genre folk music. Recorded as singer, guitarist, musician, songwriter and banjoist.