Early career Tuttle was born in
Santa Clara, California, and raised in
Palo Alto. She began playing guitar at age eight. At age 11 she played onstage with her father Jack Tuttle, a bluegrass multi-instrumentalist and instructor. were also in the band. In 2006, at age 13, Tuttle recorded
The Old Apple Tree with her father, an album of duets. She graduated from
Palo Alto High School in 2011. In 2011, the Tuttles self-released their
Introducing the Tuttles album, and the
Endless Ocean album in 2013. In 2012, Tuttle was awarded merit scholarships to the
Berklee College of Music for music and composition. She received the Foundation for Bluegrass Music's first Hazel Dickens Memorial Scholarship, won the Chris Austin Songwriting Competition at the
Merlefest Music Festival, and appeared with her father on
A Prairie Home Companion.
Collaborations While studying at the Berklee College of Music in 2014, Tuttle met and joined the all-female bluegrass group the Goodbye Girls Other members were Allison de Groot (banjo), Lena Jonsson (fiddle), and Brittany Karlson (bass). The group released an EP
Going to Boston in 2014 and the album
Snowy Side of the Mountain in 2016, and toured Jonsson's home country of
Sweden several times. Tuttle also recorded
Molly Tuttle & John Mailander, a duet EP with fiddler John Mailander. In 2018, she joined
Alison Brown,
Missy Raines,
Sierra Hull, and
Becky Buller in a
supergroup. The quintet performed at the Rockygrass Festival in
Lyons, Colorado, on July 27, 2018. Initially known as the Julia Belles, the group became known as the First Ladies of Bluegrass. Additional gigs were played at Analog at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville on September 18, 2018, and the
International Bluegrass Music Association Wide Open Bluegrass Festival on September 28, 2018. Tuttle collaborated with
Billy Strings on the songs "
Sittin' on Top of the World" and "Billy in the Lowground." The First Ladies of Bluegrass were featured on the first single from a full-length album by Missy Raines, titled
Royal Traveler, released in 2018 on
Compass Records.
Solo career In 2015, Tuttle moved from Boston to Nashville. Her EP
Rise was released in 2017 after a crowdfunding campaign. She wrote all of the songs on the seven-song album, which was produced by Kai Welch. Guests included
Darrell Scott,
the Milk Carton Kids,
Kathy Kallick, and Nathaniel Smith. She formed the Molly Tuttle Band, which included Wes Corbett (banjo), Joe K. Walsh (mandolin), and Hasee Ciaccio (bass). She released her debut album ''When You're Ready
via Compass Records on April 5, 2019, and But I'd Rather Be with You'' again on Compass Records in August 2020.
Golden Highway In 2021, Tuttle assembled her new "dream" band, Golden Highway, including Shelby Means on bass, Kyle Tuttle on banjo, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on fiddle, and Dominick Leslie on mandolin, with everyone sharing or supporting vocals. In January 2022, Nonesuch Records announced a release by Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway titled
Crooked Tree on April 1, 2022. Their follow-up album,
City of Gold, was released in July 2023. Both won the
Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.
New Band Tuttle announced the dissolution of Golden Highway in May 2025, with many band members pursuing solo careers, and revealed a new, all-female band that would begin touring with her in July. Her new album,
So Long Little Miss Sunshine, was set for release on August 15, 2025. The project was produced by
Jay Joyce and preceded by the single "That's Gonna Leave a Mark". ==Personal life==