Award-winning bluegrass husband-and-wife duo Kenny and Amanda Smith have unveiled their moving new single “Tears Of The Cherokee,” a haunting and thought-provoking preview of their forthcoming album Whole World Round, set for release this July.

Written by Dave Summers, “Tears Of The Cherokee” imagines an ancient Cherokee gazing into the future and witnessing the destruction of the once-majestic Appalachian homeland — the dead trees, the scarred mountains, the aching absence of what once was. It is a song about grief, memory, and the quiet devastation of watching a beloved place disappear. In the hands of Kenny and Amanda Smith, that sorrow becomes something you can feel in your chest.

For the duo, the song is more than a story — it is family history. Kenny’s grandmother was a full-blooded Cherokee, and that lineage gives the single a weight and intimacy that transcends performance. You can hear it in Amanda’s vocal, which never overreaches for the emotion because the emotion is already there, patiently waiting in every syllable.

Since forming their band in 2001, Kenny and Amanda Smith have quietly become one of the most respected acts in bluegrass. They took home the 2003 IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year award, and the accolades have kept rolling in ever since. Kenny is a multi-time IBMA Guitar Player of the Year and widely regarded as one of the premier acoustic guitarists working today. Amanda has been honored as IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year, celebrated for a voice that manages to be both plainspoken and utterly unmistakable. Along the way, the pair have collected Grammy and Dove Award nominations to round out the trophy shelf.

“Tears Of The Cherokee” continues everything longtime fans have come to expect from the duo: heartfelt storytelling, world-class musicianship, and harmonies that feel handed down rather than rehearsed. It also sets an ambitious tone for Whole World Round, which promises to be one of the more anticipated bluegrass releases of the year.

Stream “Tears Of The Cherokee” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/search/Kenny%20and%20Amanda%20Smith%20Tears%20Of%20The%20Cherokee

DJs and media can download the track for free via Get It Played, and fans can find tour dates and more information at http://www.kenny-amandasmith.com. Press play, sit still for a minute, and let this one do its work.