Aaron Raitiere is an heir to Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, and other literate progressive country singer/songwriters who prized clever turns of phrase as much as well-weathered chord changes. This relaxed, rambling swagger is evident on the songs Raitiere penned as a professional songwriter, landing credits on Miranda Lambert albums and winning a Grammy in 2020 for "I'll Never Love Again," a song he co-wrote with Lady Gaga for her A Star is Born remake. All these gifts come into sharp relief on Raitiere's own recordings, especially his full-length 2022 debut Single Wide Dreamer, an album co-produced by Miranda Lambert and Anderson East.
A native of Danville, Kentucky, Aaron Raitiere earned a BA in American Studies from Cornell University and an MFA in Recording Arts from Middle Tennessee State University. While at MTSU, he met Anderson East, a fellow fledgling songwriter who would become a friend, collaborator, and conduit for his first big break in the business. When producer Dave Cobbwas working on Delilah, the major-label debut from East, Raitiere co-wrote four of the album's songs, leading Cobb to sign the songwriter to a publishing deal at his Low Country Sound. That year, Raitiere lost all his possessions in a house fire. He rebuilt his life by heading out on the road selling merch for East while the musician was on the road with Sturgill Simpson.
Soon, Raitiere was building a reputation outside of East. He had credits on Miranda Lambert's 2016 double-album The Weight of These Wings, then placed songs on albums by Montgomery Gentry, the Oak Ridge Boys, Ashley Monroe, Dillon Carmichael, and Lori McKenna in 2018. That year, he also co-wrote "I'll Never Love Again" with Lady Gaga, who recorded it for the soundtrack of Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born remake. "I'll Never Love Again" wound up taking home a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 2020, by which time he had also written songs for Robert Randolph, Randy Rogers Band, Chris Shiflett, the Lone Bellow, and Ashley McBryde.
During this period, Raitiere also chipped away at his debut album, working with producers Anderson East and Miranda Lambert. Featuring cameos by Bob Weir, Robert Randolph, Ashley Monroe, Foy Vance, and Natalie Hemby, the resulting Single Wide Dreamer finally saw daylight in February 2022.