Song Premiere: Tessy Lou Williams Chooses Between Love and Dreams on 'Mountain Time in Memphis'

Montana-raised singer-songwriter Tessy Lou Williams has spent her whole life immersed in music. She grew up surrounded by a family band, Montana Rose, which was started by her parents. Williams started the band Tessy Lou and the Shotgun Stars with Bryan Paugh (fiddle) and her dad, Kenny Williams (bass), and moved to Austin, Texas, where they continued to build a dedicated following at historic honky tonks, such as Poodie's Roadhouse.

Now, Williams is gearing up to release her first solo album, written primarily in Nashville, Tennessee and recorded at Station West in Music City. The self-titled album features Ashley Campbell, Brennen Leigh, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Jon Randall and more.

"Mountain Time in Memphis," written by Williams and Jerry Salley, is an old-time heartbreaker about a woman torn between a new life in Tennessee and the love she left behind in Montana.

"It's still mountain time in Memphis/ I thought I left it 1800 miles behind" Williams sings. "It's still mountain time in Memphis, and I've still got a lot of heartache left to climb."

Williams says the song marked a turning point for her.

"My first co-write when I started going to Nashville was with Jerry Salley. I was nervous, intimidated, and inexperienced in the co-writing process. We hit it off creatively almost immediately and I quickly realized how amazing co-writing could be," Williams tells Wide Open Country. "I'm endlessly grateful that my first experience in a blind co-write was with Jerry. I'm absolutely in love with this song and its encapsulation of how hard choosing between love and life can be."

Listen to "Mountain Time in Memphis" below.

For more information on Tessy Lou Williams, visit her official website.

Track List:

1. Your Forever Will Never Say Goodbye (Written By: Mike Ward)
2. Why Do I Still Want You (Written By: Leslie Satcher)
3. Mountain Time in Memphis (Written By: Tessy Lou Williams/Jerry Salley)
4. Midnight Arms (Written By: Tessy Lou Williams/Larry Cordle)
5. One More Night (Written By: Tessy Lou Williams/Vanessa Olivarez)
6. Someone Lonely (Written By: Kenny Williams/Mike Ward)
7. Somebody's Drinking About You (Written By: Tessy Lou Williams/Brennen Leigh)
8. Busy Counting Bridges (Written By: Tessy Lou Williams/Jerry Salley)
9. Round and Round (Written By: Tessy Lou Williams/Leslie Satcher)
10. Pathway of Teardrops  (Written By: Webb Pierce/Wayne P. Walker/June Hazelwood)

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