Brandon Lee Adams “I’ll Follow Summer”

In 2019, his album Time That I Was Leaving produced three charting singles, but plans to tour behind it were cut short by the pandemic. During that stretch, Adams shifted his focus to television, creating and producing The Life of a Musician for numerous PBS affiliates. The series earned an Emmy and now reaches more than 100 million homes.

Now Adams is back in familiar territory—writing, recording, and releasing new music with guitar in hand. His latest single, “I’ll Follow Summer,” is a stirring reflection, part farewell and part fresh start. It holds onto the past with gratitude while opening the door to what’s ahead. “The unknown can be its own joy,” Adams says. That outlook shaped the session, cut live with some undeniably legendary cats; Vince Gill, Tim O’Brien, John McEuen, John Jorgenson, and Glenn Worf. For Adams, it was the kind of lineup most players dream of—a once-in-a-lifetime room where the songs almost played themselves.

The well crafted, fully realized clip for “I’ll Follow Summer” shows that collaboration in full. Directed by Adams’ wife, Mindy, with Wilky Black of Hayzens Productions behind the camera, it puts every player on screen, side by side in the studio. “The concept was to just show everyone behind the curtain,” Adams explains. “This is what it looks like and sounds like to do this.” Looking ahead, Adams has more music ready to share, including a reimagined version of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Song for a Winter’s Night” and a live duet of “I Long for 17” with his late friend Tony Rice. He’ll headline the Hippodrome in Richmond next spring, with additional university dates, and a new full-length album is planned for 2026. For Adams, “I’ll Follow Summer” is more than a single—it’s a reminder of where he’s been, who he’s walked beside, and how he plans to carry those lessons with him.