Lost Highway Records is Back! UMG Nashville and T Bone Burnett Revive the Iconic Label
Los Angeles, California (January21, 2025)- Nashville is buzzing with the news that Lost Highway Records, the beloved alt-country label known for championing artistry over mass appeal, is making a comeback. UMG Nashville's Cindy Mabe has joined forces with legendary songwriter and producer T Bone Burnett to breathe new life into the imprint, which was home to artists like Elvis Costello, Kacey Musgraves, Hayes Carll, Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett, and Willie Nelson during its initial run.
Lost Highway's legacy includes the Grammy Award-winning Album of the Year, the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, produced by Burnett himself. It seems fitting then that the label's revival was sparked by another Burnett project: Ringo Starr's new album, "Look Up."
“It hit me that ‘O Brother’ was kind of where Lost Highway started and that was T Bone," Mabe shared with Billboard. "Here he was presenting this beautiful record and telling me all the reasons he was doing the record. It was exactly the mentality needed for Lost Highway."
Burnett echoed the sentiment, telling Billboard, "This is going to be an inclusive label, it’s not going to be just country music. It will be what I call American music which includes blues, rhythm and blues, country music, folk music, rock n’ roll music. The idea is that it’s all going to be the good stuff.”
"Look Up," released on January 10th, marks Lost Highway's first new release since 2012. The album has already garnered widespread critical acclaim for its optimism and heartfelt approach. Mabe describes it as a project that "takes you completely back to the roots of both Ringo Starr and country music."
This new chapter for Lost Highway promises to honor the label's original vision while forging new paths for artists.
With plans for film and TV projects, catalog reissues, and exciting new artist signings on the horizon, Lost Highway is poised to once again become a vital force in the music industry.
