The fourth album in the Billboard Top 10 and multiple award-winning AMERICAN STORIES series of theme albums from Grant Maloy Smith. More than an hour of music exploring America's westward expansion in the 1800s, starting with the Louisiana Purchase and the subsequent Lewis and Clark expedition to explore and map the new territory, and featuring heroes like Native American Sakajawea, US President Teddy Roosevelt, and escaped slave-turned-Deputy US Marshal Bass Reeves. The 18-song double album is filled with passionate songs about the transcontinental railroad, the pony express and the telegraph, the rise and fall of cowboy culture, the lure of the American rodeo, the tragic Trail of Tears, Texas’ war for independence from Mexico, the Spanish-American War, the Gold Rush, and much more. The music is accompanied by a hardcover book written and illustrated by the artist himself. The songs were written and produced by Grant, who played the guitars and keyboards and produced the album.
Notable performers include GRAMMY® and 39-time IBMA winning dobro master Rob Ickes (Earl Scruggs, Tony Rice, Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson), IBMA winning banjoist Scott Vestal (Larry Sparks, Doyle Lawson, Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs), GRAMMY nominated singer Carrie McDowell (Smokey Robinson, The Pointer Sisters, Natalie Cole), GRAMMY-nominated vocalist Kim Fleming (Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Amy Grant, Wynona Judd), GRAMMY and 12-time IBMA-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland (Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, Bill Monroe, Béla Fleck, Tommy Emmanuel), Grammy winning accordionist Jeff Taylor (The Time Jumpers, Vince Gill, Paul Simon, George Strait), ACM winning pedal steel player Mike Johnson (Reba McEntire, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard), GRAMMY nominee and Grand Ole Opry fiddle player Matt Combs (Jerry Douglas, Patty Loveless, Marty Stuart), and more.
The album was produced at Grant's own Suburban Cowboy Studio in Rhode Island, with additional sessions engineered by Jeff Silverman at Palette MSP in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, just outside Nashville.
In addition, Grant wrote a 100-page hardcover book that puts each song into historical and cultural context. The album and book are slated for release in the Summer of 2026. Signed copies of the CD and the book are already available for pre-order on the artist’s website at www.grant-maloy-smith.com.
Left to right: Rob Ickes, Matt Combs, Mike Johnson, Michael Cleveland, Jeff Taylor, Scott Vestal, Carrie McDowell, Kim Fleming.
WILD WEST: AMERICAN STORIES
ORDER A SIGNED Book, LP, CD, or More
LPs and CDs are still in demand as keepsakes and mementos. That's why Grant signs and dedicates every one of them at his shows, and when you order them from this website. When you buy vinyl LPs or CDs here, you also get a link to download digital audio files to your devices, so you can copy the songs to listen to anytime.
This is a DOUBLE ALBUM with 18 songs and 67 minutes of music. You can get two vinyl LPS + a CD, or just a CD with all of the songs. Both possibilities include links to download high-resolution digital files that you can copy to your phone or computer and keep forever.
In addition, Grant wrote an 80-page, 11.5 x 11.5-inch hardcover coffee-table book to accompany the album. Besides the credits and lyrics, the book includes the backstories behind the songs, placing them in historical context and detailing aspects of the writing and recording process. It is filled with amazing photographs and artwork for each song. This is a powerful part of the album and something you'll want to display proudly and leaf through when you hear the music.
The ultimate version of the album is the box set, which includes TWO vinyl LPs, a CD, and a hardcover book (with links to download the songs digitally), all housed in a beautiful decorative box. If you buy only the CD, you will also get the digital download links.
