Today we’re pleased to bring you the exclusive first listen of the new track from Delphi, IN, based singer-songwriter, Malachi Jaggers. “An American Hero” is a track that was inspired by his Grandfather, who worked on the railroad, was a farmer, and served in the Navy during World War II.
This story-driven mellow Americana track is a first person’s perspective of what a rugged blue-collar hard-working man that his Grandfather was. From being an American hero in the literal sense to being a personal hero to Jaggers, the song can also invoke a sense of personal nostalgia into the listener, as many of us have grandparents whose stories and mannerisms we remember.
Malachi spoke about the track by saying:
I co-wrote the song with a friend and fellow songwriter, Scott Greeson. The inspiration for the song was my Grandfather, who worked on the railroad, farmed, and served in the Navy during World War II. The writing process started in early 2019. Initially, I thought I would save it for a future project. After hearing the song, my mom encouraged to record it. I still felt there were some things that needed tweaking so I asked Scott if he’d like to co-write with me. There is a town not too far from home called Battle Ground, Indiana where there is a beautiful battlefield underneath a canopy of trees. We met there on a sunny Spring day and finished the song. It’s an inspiring place to write. Afterwards, I took it home and made a demo with ProTools. That was May 13, 2021 and recorded it in Nashville, TN at Compass Studio on May 18, 2021
The video itself was produced and edited by Jared Pike, in Norfolk and Southern rail yard:
We chose this location of the rail yard in Frankfort, IN because that is where my Grandfather worked on the Nickel Plate Railroad. My cousin Isaac who is playing my Grandfather in the video currently works on the railroad here. A family relative had a house we could use that fit the time period of the 1940’s. It is also the place that houses a family 1937 John Deere A tractor that belonged to my wife’s Grandfather.
More On Malachi Jaggers
Singer-songwriter, producer, and self-taught multi-instrumentalist Malachi Jaggers is forging his own brand of hopeful, relatable Americana, pulling from personal experience to connect with audiences on a deeply human level. His songs are inspired by nature, family history, and real-life struggle, written with a captivating candor rarely found in modern music.
A boundary-pushing artist and storyteller at heart, Jaggers constantly experiments with different approaches and production techniques to create something fresh and unique. He’s also an open, vulnerable songwriter: From the richly narrative lyrics to the buoyant, melodic hooks, his work is infused with compassion and authenticity.
Often compared to artists like David Gilmour and Tom Petty as well as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Jaggers combines raw, progressive energy with the nostalgic warmth and realness of 60s-70s analog rock. “My goal is to make people forget their problems,” he says. “To help them see their circumstances from a new perspective.”
With the release of his new single “An American Hero” in November 2021, Jaggers is embracing the future while keeping one eye on the past. Inspired by his grandfather, who worked on the railroad, farmed, and served in the Navy during World War II, the single was co-written with Greeson at a historic Indiana battlefield, fusing a bit of family history with the spirit of John Mellencamp.
The track conjures the wide-open prairies where heartland soul was born with a diverse spectrum of instruments, including Sierra Hull on mandolin (Allison Krauss, Bela Fleck) and other preeminent players on steel guitar, accordion, and electric guitar. “It’s about more than my own grandfather, really. It’s a song to honor the heroes who sacrificed themselves to protect our homes, our communities, and our country.”
The soulful, organic Americana style first introduced in Fearless—clever melodic hooks, natural vocals, and compelling, narrative verses—is refined and expanded here. Recorded at Compass Studio in Nashville with Coles, who also produced Fearless, “An American Hero” will be released with an accompanying music video, filmed at the Indiana rail yard where Jaggers’s grandfather worked, and where his cousin Isaac, who plays his grandfather in the video, currently works. “I’m drawn to writing about things like family histories and the mysteries of nature,” says Jaggers. “Things that remind us how finite we are, and therefore how finite our circumstances and problems are. In the end, I make music because I want to make people feel good.”
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An American Hero was written by: Malachi Jaggers and Scott Greeson | Produced by: Malachi Jaggers |Co-Produced by: Matt Coles |Mixed by: Matt Coles | Engineered by: Matt Coles and Malachi Jaggers | Mastered by: Jim DeMain at Yes Master Studios (Nashville, TN) |Recorded at: Compass Records/Studios (Nashville, TN)
