Natalie Stovall, Multi-talented Singer Songwriter

Natalie Stovall is equally at home whether she’s hosting a show at the Grand Ole Opry, touring with the female trio Runaway June, or doing a solo show and demonstrating her mastery of the fiddle with her dynamic version of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

The Columbia native is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist who has performed ever since childhood.

“It started with an article in the Columbia newspaper when I was about three years old,” she recalls. “My grandmother saw that a violin teacher was coming to town and asked if I wanted to take violin lessons, and I said sure.”

She admits that there may have been a little more to it.

"Even at that age, I think I knew it meant I got to be onstage," she says with a laugh. "I'm the youngest of four, and I've always been kind of a ham."

She started taking acting lessons at about the same time.

“I started taking violin lessons and I loved it, so I continued doing both. I remember I did my first commercial when I was about six, and then auditioned for the Opryland Kids Club (at Opryland Theme Park) when I was ten.

She got the job that required her to sing, as well as play the fiddle, and was soon performing on a regular basis. She continued to excel on the fiddle and, by the age of twelve, had her debut on the Grand Ole Opry.

Stovall continued to focus on music, and after high school, headed off to Berklee College of Music. While there, she also formed a band, with plans to come home during summer break and play live shows. 

“I put this band together and called my parents and said, ‘Hey, can I bring this band of four boys with me, and can they live in the house? I’ll book us gigs around town.”

Surprisingly, her parents agreed. Stovall had never actually “booked a gig” before but got to work.

“I put my little press kit together with the help of my now-husband, who was my drummer at the time. And for two summers in a row, we came down from Boston to Columbia and played at Sam Hill’s. It was a local restaurant and venue that’s no longer there. We also played other places, but Sam Hill’s was our home base, and we played there almost every week. Looking back, I don’t know where my career would be today without it.”

Stovall later launched a solo career. When COVID hit, and live shows came to a halt, many musicians left Nashville to find other work, and Stovall’s band splintered apart. But soon, a new opportunity came knocking - from the group, Runaway June.

“They called and asked if I’d be interested in playing some of their shows and possibly replacing one of their members. I’ve always loved harmony singing and being part of a group, so it’s really been an amazing and delightful thing to be part of.”

Stovall balances touring with Runaway June, with her hosting duties at the Opry.  

“I do their TV shows, so Opry Live is the one-hour portion that airs on Saturday nights. And sometimes when I'm on the road, they have to get someone else to do it, but it usually works out with my schedule.”

Stovall is a master at balancing a busy schedule. She’s been doing it for decades. She credits growing up in Columbia with laying the foundation for all she’s doing now.

“I think about how fortunate I was as a kid to have the big city of Nashville where I would go and take voice lessons and do commercials, but I always had my hometown of Columbia,” she says. “I received so much love and support here when I was growing up, then during college when I came back and played those shows during the summer. I think that’s what gave me the confidence to know all of this was possible, that I could do this anywhere in the world, but I always had Columbia to come back to."

Visit nataliestovall.com or runawayjune.com, for more information.