To make it out of the music industry alive is amazing, let alone with a healthy marriage intact.
When I started ruminating on musical acts I wanted to capture on camera, my wickedly funny and fiercely talented friends Jenny Leigh and Adam Wakefield were top of mind. Not only had I acted in one of Jenny’s music videos “Old Oak Tree” but I had followed her evolution from solo artist to touring mom. Jenny, along with her husband Adam, a star in his own right thanks to “The Voice” which catapulted the first runner-up’s career as a country artist (or as he cheekily jokes gave him “first loser” status), have lived a life most couples only dream of. Together and separately they have seen myriad shenanigans behind the scenes deciding inevitably to stay true to their craft and trust that the right career opportunities would arise.
Beginning with moving to Nashville to pursue their dreams of being in a community of top-notch songwriters, Adam and Jenny have since each starred on reality TV, fronted bands they grew up listening to (Adam as a stand-in for beloved band The Steeldrivers) and even ended up with recurring roles on the soap opera “Nashville.” (Jenny started out as a stand-in and eventually landed a speaking role in the final season.) It may have all felt like a dream however, the two fiesty artists have also had their ups and downs, primarily for bucking the system. When every other artist went left, they veered right resulting in Adam going from a traditional label to an independent career and Jenny taking time off music to become a mother and start a bouquet business.
Today, they jump on and off planes to play music around the world with their two beautiful kids in tow. Since the long-time couple got hitched and had two mini-me’s, they decided they wanted to do things differently — naturally, their freewheeling way. Bedtime routines were for the birds. The Wakefields are at their best when jet-setting from Mexico to Europe, even training their children to sleep on a tour bus or their chest while they play onstage at a festival. As a pair who began their romantic relationship touring around the country, there was no reason in their eyes that a family unit should curtail their wanderlust.
Plus, this was the perfect time as Adam and Jenny had recently formalized the band they had been glacially gravitating towards for years.
After operating as individual entities, Adam and Jenny (who had backed Adam up for years) began performing on their front porch during Covid. The weekly social distancing hangs became semi-famous for offering the nabes entertainment when all engagements were off. Yet, they also brought Adam and Jenny back to a spiritual center. The pair, whose voices truly blend like vegetables in a simmering stew, felt like coming back home which meant singing with the person who saw straight through them. After years of working with other artists and sometimes sacrificing their creative integrity to pay the bills, they sought out a sense of familiarity. By following their instincts and newfound homebody nature Wakefield, with its stripped-down acoustics, jazz influences, and gospel undertones, was born.
After only reading bits and clips about their relationship in the press, it was a delight to dive in deeper to see the chemistry that truly electrifies Jenny and Adam’s dynamic. One can tell this band is built on love, both in the romantic sense and best friendship born out of mutual respect for one another’s talents. This conversation about country music, creativity, losing oneself to an overly commercialized industry, and finding grounding in family is one I will think about whenever I am tempted to temper my true nature. By being totally and completely true to who they are Jenny and Adam have found their new way of existing and executing meaningful works of art.
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