Andie Kay Joyner and Heather Stalling had to experience life before they felt ready to write and sing about it. After meeting in 1992, both were already accomplished musicians/vocalists, having grown up in musical families that exposed them to bluegrass festivals and folk scenes at an early age. For the next decade, the girls further groomed themselves for their own band by playing in several other bands, backing dozens of Texas artists like Mark David Manders, Bob Schneider, Ed Burleson, Johnny Lee, and Max Stalling. The two shared a house and wrote almost every day for a year and a half. With maybe a half dozen songs penned, they played every Tuesday at the legendary Dallas honky-tonk, Adair’s Saloon, and held that gig for a little over a year. Heather then signed on for a regular stint with Texas singer-songwriter Mark David Manders, while Andie Kay frequently came along to sing backup vocals. They took up songwriting in earnest and became self-described “world-class hotel jammers.” Over time, these sessions evolved and there was finally enough material to complete an album. With the help of a few friends and the assembly of a group of extraordinary musicians, blacktopGYPSY was formed.
