WATFORD CITY — Singer and songwriter Jessie Veeder has been named a finalist for three awards by the Academy of Western Artists.
Her 2024 album “Yellow Roses” is in contention for 2024 Western Country Album while her song “Hard on Things” is a finalist for 2024 Western Country Song. The music video for “Red Barns and People Get Old”, which features her daughter Rosie, is up for 2024 Western/Cowboy Music Video.
Veeder and her husband Chad Scofield plan to travel to Fort Worth, Texas, ahead of the Dec. 2 ceremony when the winners will be announced. She’ll also have a chance to connect with other artists during a networking and educational event on Dec. 1.
“Yellow Roses” is a finalist for the 2024 Western Country Album for the Academy of Western Artists.
Contributed / Jessie Veeder
Veeder said being named a finalist is especially meaningful because it’s a peer-voted process. “That feels good to me,” she said. “This album is in the niche of rural storytelling more than any of my other albums, with its stories about rural living and ranch life and the people who live and work the land.”
In the process of voting on the work of her fellow singers and songwriters, Veeder noted how inspiring it was to see what others are producing.
“There are people in this academy across the country from all ages — from young sisters to those in their 60s and 70s who are still writing music and telling their stories, which is really authentic to the brand of Western music,” she said. “There’s just so much passion for rural living. I think that’s what is so special about this academy — the members producer really heartfelt work.”
Veeder started working on songs for “Yellow Roses” after returning from the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which takes place in Elko, Nevada. She came home inspired by so many other artists who attended the event that she pulled out some unfinished songs from her 2015 album “Northern Lights” and got to work.
Many of the songs are deeply personal, including the titular “Yellow Roses”, which shares the “incredible story of tenacity” of her great-grandpa who came to the area with little and proved the claim that is still in the family today. He planted yellow roses that still grow on the Veeder ranch more than 100 years later.
“It’s a story our family tells and I was able to put it in a song,” Veeder said.
“Hard on Things” isn’t based on a true story, but the character is someone many people in a rural setting will likely relate to, Veeder said. The song tells the story of a man who simply doesn’t take care of the things or people in his life and how that affects others.
Jessie Veeder records a song for her “Yellow Roses” album at OmniSound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Shortly after, the historic music studio was razed.
Contributed / Jessie Veeder
Veeder recorded the album in Nashville with her producer Bill Warner from Warner Works in the historic OmniSound Studios on Music Row where artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonce once recorded. OmniSound was razed in the summer of 2024 after a change of ownership.
“The album is so well produced,” Veeder said. “They brought my songs to life and took good care of them.”
Carol Mikkelson and Cody Brown star in the music video for “Red Barns and People Get Old.”
Contributed / Jessie Veeder
To bring the touching story of “Red Barns and People Get Old” to life in a music video, Veeder worked with Nolan Johnson from Quantum Digital out of Bismarck. The song tells the story of Veeder’s grandmother Edie and when her son — Veeder’s dad — returned to the ranch after her husband died in his 30s.
“I love this video. It’s a beautifully shot piece of work thanks to Nolan,” Veeder said. “The song is from my grandma’s perspective and how when she looks at her son, she sees her husband. Now that she’s in partnership with her son, she can bring the ranch into the future.”
Jessie Veeder’s daughter Rosie Scofield also starred in the music video.
Contributed / Jessie Veeder
Veeder enlisted a cowboy she knew who would fit the part well — Cody Brown — to act in the role of the son while
veteran Fargo actor Carol Mikkenson
traveled to Watford City for a day to play the role of Veeder’s grandmother. After some initial filming, Veeder called Johnson and said something was missing.
“I wanted to tie it into the next generation, so Rosie came in at the last minute and she’s in the video as the daughter, as me,” Veeder said. “Having the kid come in at the end is a reminder of why you hang on to places like this even when it’s hard.”
For a songwriter who has been writing about her life living on the land in western North Dakota, Veeder said discovering that others tell similar stories was validating.
“As a kid, I romanticized living here because I knew how special it was,” she said. “I’ve always known how special the stories are here and wanted to tell them, so the fact that they are awarding and recognizing us for tell them means a lot to me.”
“Yellow Roses” is Veeder’s fourth album. Her first album, “Nothing’s Forever,” was released in 2012 with “Northern Lights” in 2015. Her “Playing Favorites” album in 2020 included covers of her favorite songs.
Veeder is also a
for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
Danielle Teigen has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and management communication as well as a master’s degree in mass communication from North Dakota State University. She has worked for Forum Communications since May 2015 and is the author of two non-fiction history books.