One of country music’s fastest-rising acts hails from Albion, Michigan. The duo called The War and Treaty was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
Last month, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville hosted a tribute concert honoring Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. The show was headlined by 2023 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year Lainie Wilson.
The War and Treaty were also on the bill, and the married couple who make up the group, Tanya Trotter and Michael Trotter Jr., brought the house down with a powerful, impromptu performance of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."
The duo is currently touring Europe. In August, they’re coming back home for three concerts in Michigan.
Michael Trotter Jr. says he and Tanya have played at the Opry about 20 times, and in recent years, they’ve become friends with the Cash and Carter families. They were thrilled to help celebrate the Opry’s 100th year that night.
“We jumped at that, to be a part of honoring one of the greatest legacies of all time, one of the greatest love stories of all time, period, whether it’s country, blues, jazz," Michael said. "It’s such a powerful American love story, and Tanya and I are all about that.”
"To be up there with the legacy of June and Johnny Cash, it’s mind-blowing! You know, it’s almost every time a pinch-yourself moment," Tanya added.
You may have seen the Trotters performing during last season’s American Idol finale or live from the nation’s capitol on CNN’s Fourth of July special. They’ve even been featured in a commercial for a weight loss drug.
Their newest single is "Feels Like Home." Tanya says touring with her husband makes being on the road feel more like home, and what she hears from fans who follow them adds to that feeling.
“They say ‘Hey, this is my 12th time!’ Well, that feels like home to know that someone has been following you and your journey for 12 years, so that’s what that song is all about, you know?” she said.
“With you, it feels like home, and our fans have a way of making us feel that way, and we hope that we have a way of making them feel that way as well.”
Tayna says one of her favorite songs they’ve written comes from their 2017 album "Down to the River." The video for the song "Set My Soul on Fire" was shot in a friend’s backyard in Albion.
She describes the song as “sultry."
"It has the mandolin in there, on top of what people for the sake of genre will call a 'jazz style,' but it’s very unique in how that song came together. I really, really love performing that song, and I don’t think it’s gotten the presence that it should have," Tanya said.
Black artists are becoming increasingly more visible in the country music genre. There was a time when Charley Pride was pretty much the only Black country star. The last few years have seen performers like Darius Rucker, Mickey Guyton and Beyoncé with her
"Cowboy Carter" album hit the country charts.
Michael Trotter is glad the War and Treaty is part of that conversation.
“It’s a wonderful time to be a part of changing the culture, shifting the narrative, bringing it to the center," he said. "Very happy with our country for growing in that way, very excited to see all of that taking place, and so I’m very happy.”
The Trotters have spent time touring as opening acts for big stars like Chris Stapleton. They’re grateful for how well they’ve been treated by the big names, and they intend to do the same for the performers opening for them.
Michael is looking forward to being in front of Michigan audiences again.
"We’re really excited about bringing these new experiences back home to all of Michigan, whether it’s Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Albion, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor. It doesn’t matter where it is. We’ve got a lot to share, and we can’t wait to share it!”
The War and Treaty have upcoming concerts at the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids August 1, the Dearborn Homecoming Festival August 2 and at the Interlochen Center for the Arts on August 4.
