You may recognize Ketch Secor as the frontman and founding member of Grand Ole Opry and festival-favorite Old Crow Medicine Show. But did you know that the Grammy-award winner is also an author?

Secor’s debut picture book, “Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang The Storm Away,” is scheduled to be released Oct. 2, 2018, Sourcebooks announced in a press release. Following the release, Secor plans to hit the road on a national media tour — visiting schools, bookstores, and libraries around the country — to introduce fans, families, and kids to the children’s book. He will be in Nashville on Oct. 2 and Oct. 20; Louisville on Oct. 3; Columbus on Oct. 4; Chicago on Oct. 6 ;and Denver on Oct. 7. You can find more event info and tickets HERE!

In 2017, Old Crow Medicine Show released two critically acclaimed albums: “Best of Old Crow Medicine Show” (Nettwerk) and “50 Years of Blonde On Blonde” (Columbia Nashville), a reimagined version of Bob Dylan’s classic “Blonde on Blonde” album. The group released its latest album, “Volunteer,” in April 2018.

In writing “Lorraine,” Secor said in a statement, he found inspiration from the Appalachian folktales he heard when living in eastern Tennessee during the infancy of Old Crow Medicine Show. “I’m interested in telling children’s stories using the traditional form found in folktales and incorporating all of these elements of music that both make it fun for kids and also harken to the richness of Tennessee culture,” he said.

Steve Geck, editorial director of children’s books at Sourcebooks, said in a release he found himself drawn to the story’s deep roots in music and exploration of Americana. “Lorraine celebrates the bond a young girl shares with her grandfather through their mutual love of music,” Geck said. “It’s sweeping, epic, and energetic.”

The illustrator, Higgins Bond, is a nationally recognized illustrator and recipient of the 2009 Ashley Bryan Award for outstanding contribution to children’s literature. Best known for her work illustrating children’s biographies, including Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall, and adult books such as Alex Haley’s “Roots: The Saga of An American Family.” Higgins Bond was thrilled to partner with Secor. “I was excited for the opportunity to illustrate a story about a girl and her grandfather, and the love and healing power of music,” said Higgins Bond, who used her granddaughter as inspiration for the young girl, “Lorraine,” in a release.

“One of the things I’m most excited about this project is Higgins’s involvement and her illustrations,” Secor added. “I’m able to not only tell this Appalachian story, but also an African American story. There’s an important value to that, and writing a story from all of these voices has been inspiring to me. I’m really honored to be the one to tell it.”

Geck continued, “The combination of Higgins Bond’s bold, lavish illustrations and Ketch’s rollicking, rhyming story create an Americana fable reminiscent of ‘Thunder Rose’ and ‘Swamp Angel.'”

In “Lorraine,” Pa Paw and Lorraine spend their days celebrating life with the music of the Tennessee Hills. But when a fearsome storm rolls through, the two must rely on the power of music to get them through.

Promoting literacy, especially in his home state of Tennessee, is another important element of this project for Secor. “I live in a state that is oftentimes toward the bottom of the list in literacy and national education statistics. I hope this story can serve as a source of pride not only for the people who live in this region, but the many places that are underserved in children’s literature,” he said.