Country music singer-songwriter Stephanie Quayle has always loved the freedom of riding. The Bozeman, Montana-native grew up riding horses with her mom, Eileen, who taught her how to pick herself up after getting thrown off and the value of perseverance. Today, the fearless mother-daughter duo is embarking on a new adventure. Quayle, a Rebel Engine Entertainment recording artist and CMT's Next Women of Country class of 2019 inductee, is teaming up with Harley-Davidson for a series of videos about learning to ride motorcycles from her mom, a veteran Harley-Davidson Fat Boy rider.
"From Horses To Horsepower," a series of videos shot at a Harley-Davidson dealership in High Point, N.C. and on Stephanie's own Summerfield Farms outside of Greensboro, N.C., showcases Quayle's bond with her mother.
"My mom is hands down one of the coolest humans I've ever known. I always refer to her as my favorite cowboy," Quayle says. "What I've learned about my mom is there's just no end to her. The way she looks at life is always with such a level of possibility. She's done so much over the course of her life and she just keeps striving — striving for understanding. She stays curious."
Quayle decided to start riding motorcycles with her mom after writing "Evel Knievel," a song featured on her 2019 EP If I Was a Cowboy. Though the song was initially inspired by the iconic stunt performer (and Montana hero), Quayle found herself reflecting on her mom's courageous spirit.
"Growing up in Montana — [Knievel] was from Butte, Montana and I'm from Bozeman — he was considered a super hero," Quayle says. "Over the course of just learning more about him...I learned that Evel rode Harley-Davidsons. My mom's been riding Harleys for 20 plus years. She loves it and I wanted to know that feeling the way that she describes it. I wanted to feel that for me."
Quayle says the anthemic song's message of never giving up is something she learned directly from her mom.
"Being a little kid, my mom picked me up herself. She put me back on the horse every time I fell off, dusted off my knees and wiped away the tears and got me back in the saddle. This song is so much about those learned experiences through the course of being around that kind of relentless 'can do' attitude," Quayle says. "The imagery of the chorus: 'Run like a wild horse.' That's my mom. That's what I grew up just loving."
The "Selfish" and "Drinking With Dolly" singer says riding Harleys with her mom has allowed her to learn more about the woman she calls her greatest mentor.
"My mom is so comfortable in her skin. I want that. Like, I'm getting there, you know?" Quayle says, laughing. "Nothing phases her and, if it does phase her, she's got the greatest poker face of anybody...I love that confidence, where you don't have to express how confident you are. It's just in her. I saw that watching her ride...It's very inspiring. It's empowering."
Quayle, who released her current single "Whatcha Drinkin 'Bout" earlier this year, says sharing this experience with her mom is something she'll always cherish.
"To feel the freedom that happens on the back of a motorcycle — it's unlike anything I've ever experienced. I'm still so new, but the way that you get to see the landscape and take in a sunset, it's just really something. And now I get to have that conversation with my mom," Quayle says. "We made the time to take the time to create something and experience something together that we'll be able to cherish for the rest of our lives."
For more information on Stephanie Quayle, visit her official website.
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