Long Journey Home — A Look Into the Life & Career of Missy Raines

Originally published as the cover story of the October 2023 edition of Bluegrass Unlimited, this feature aims to tell the story of Missy Raines and her musical journey, from bluegrass to jazz to Americana and now back to bluegrass again. It also highlights the power of community and collaboration, showcasing the impacts of her Allegheny bandmates in shaping the sound and scope of her latest project, Highlander.

Missy Raines has always been one to straddle the lines between bluegrass music’s insular tradition and its cutting edge. For years, she leaned more towards its contemporary evolution, embracing elements of jazz and Americana in her compositions. But now, as she enters the fifth decade of her illustrious career, she is seeking to say something new. Or rather, something old.

“I always knew that I was going to do a bluegrass band again,” says Raines of her new project, Missy Raines & Allegheny. “It was always in my heart. I just didn’t know when.”

Traditional bluegrass has been in Missy’s blood since birth, though not through the traditional means. Born in Cumberland, Maryland and raised just across the Potomac River in Short Gap, West Virginia, bluegrass resonated from the very mountains she stood upon. It was, in a sense, her birthright. But she wasn’t born into it, like many big name stars were — her family wasn’t composed of seasoned jammers; her siblings weren’t in a family band. They were, simply speaking, music lovers.

“Going to see music — that was their entertainment,” she says, recalling how her parents would travel to see nearby country shows. It was their date night. This tradition was briefly paused after her birth — her earliest years were consumed by health issues, with her having been born with a dislocated hip that left her in braces as a young child. But eventually, the family learned how to care for her and she learned how to move around the world. The family started going back to shows, this time with Missy in tow. 

“They were listening to music all the time,” Raines says, smiling at the memory. “I was literally surrounded by it.”

Lucky for her, it was around this same time that bluegrass festival culture took off. Her parents, devoted music lovers that they were, started bringing her to festivals nearly every weekend — immersing a young Missy in music and independence and community. “It was magical,” she says. “So. Freaking. Magical.”