War and Treaty Quit Nashville for Atlantic's Americana Label
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- The War and Treaty released their new LP 'The Story of Michael and Tanya' on Atlantic Outpost, Atlantic's new Americana-leaning imprint
- Tanya Trotter warned fellow artists against Nashville's country music rituals, saying 'Don't ever do it. Any artist watching this, don't you do that'
- Michael Trother reframed the duo as 'one-million percent an Americana band,' naming Tyler Childers, Charley Crockett, and Sierra Ferrell as artists who found success without Music Row rituals
- Charley Crockett also reissued his indie album 'Clovis' via Atlantic Outpost earlier this month, joining the label's Americana roster
- Michael Trotter cited Ray Charles's 1962 album 'Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music' as his north star for country music, saying 'whether people like it or not, that album saved country music'
- The duo previously released albums including 2025's 'Plus One' under Universal Music Group Nashville, after immersing themselves in Nashville by playing the Grand Ole Opry and collaborating with Music Row songwriters
Why it matters: For country-rooted artists, the Trotters' publicly narrated leap from UMG Nashville to Atlantic's new Americana imprint — alongside Crockett's recent Clovis reissue on the same label — models bypassing Music Row's rituals, with Michael Trotter framing Ray Charles's 1962 genre-crossing LP as country music's real foundation.
