Laurel Wright, 23, and Wesley Lunsford, 32, of The Young Fables have been creating modern country music rooted in tradition since forming their duo in 2015. Backed by Laurel’s sterling lead vocals, Wesley’s virtuosic guitar chops—and a penchant for collaborative songwriting—The Young Fables have built a grassroots following in the country/Americana genre, bolstered by national radio exposure from their regular appearances on The Ty Bentli Show.
The duo was firing on all cylinders in 2017 as they began shooting a documentary that endeavored to capture a song, “Daddy’s Girl,” from the first writing session to its studio recording and live performance. However, as Laurel and Wesley were gearing up to release their sophomore album, Old Songs, tragedy struck in January 2018 when Laurel’s younger sister, Lindy, 19, died in a car accident. Eight months later, after the duo recorded an appearance on the premiere episode of USA’s Real Country, tragedy struck again when Laurel’s father, Ron, died unexpectedly from a heart attack. Within a period of eight months, Laurel’s family was cut in half.
What was supposed to be an experiment in capturing the life of a song, the new documentary, The Fable of a Song, turned out to be a chronicle of the last moments that Laurel had with her family. In a year that could have easily broken the duo, Laurel and Wesley were able to lean on each other for support in the face of depression. The new documentary combs through 100 hours of footage of performances and priceless interviews with her family as Laurel garnered the strength to start performing “Daddy’s Girl” again.
“The Fable of a Song was already important to me before any of the tragedies took place,” says Laurel. “Now, after all that’s happened, it’s even more significant to me. The film has a compelling story behind it and seems to be fueling an opportunity to impact a large audience. That’s powerful because if my story can inspire just one person, then that is good enough for me. Songwriting is a special kind of art—it’s intimate and it’s personal. The story behind a song has the ability to change a person forever, it sure has for me.”
“The Fable of a Song is a project born from fate,” adds Wesley. “How one random song written on one mundane day can become a mouthpiece in the lives of the writers and the people that surround them is a testament to the human experience.”
The Fable of a Song, which is expected to be released this winter, was helmed by award-winning director Andy Strohl and producer Patryk Larney. The original score was composed by Kevin Hastings. Stay up to date regarding the film’s release.
Watch an exclusive premiere of the documentary’s new trailer below.
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