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Redd & the Paper Flowers are a quickly rising Knoxville, TN band. They bring more of a feeling and experience, rather than a particular genre. They call their sound "Living Room Folk," the kind of music that makes a room full of strangers feel like family. Others have called it Appalachian Jazz, Appalachian Folk, Folk-grass... All of it fits. None of it fully captures the warmth and authenticity this band builds night after night.
Redd & The Paper Flowers’s origin begins in 2021 when Redd Daugherty (guitar, lead vocals) met Gavin Gregg (mandolin) at Carolina Ale House in Knoxville, TN. Former bassist, Will Ross, invited Gavin to play a set, and since then, Redd and Gavin have been inseparable.
Katie Adams (bass) and Colleen d'Alelio (cello) first met while completing their music degrees at Ithaca College, in Ithaca, NY. They moved to Knoxville in 2020, during Katie's pursuit of her master's degree at The University of Tennessee. They were first introduced to Redd and Gavin at the Open Chord Open Mic in Knoxville, TN, as they were getting to know the wonderful music community in their new city. The four friends began playing together as a band in the summer of 2022.
In February of 2023, the band's rise was interrupted when Redd's dear friend and mentor, Jason Cooper ("Coop") was tragically murdered in his home by his roommate. Unexpectedly, Coop left Rush's Music (a local band instrument rental store that serves as a lifeline for 90 schools and roughly 3,000 students) to Redd without her knowledge. Redd had worked at Rush's from 2011 and through her bachelor's and master's degrees before ultimately quitting to teach high school English at L&N STEM Academy--a local, public magnet school in Knoxville. It was at Rush’s Music where she had met and befriended Coop, and they had remained dear friends until his untimely death.
The band's touring and recording of their debut album was put on hold until Redd could address the needs of Rush’s Music and the greater, Knoxville music community. Katie and Gavin were able to quit their jobs and work to keep Rush's alive and thriving. Redd credits Katie, Colleen, and Gavin for giving her direction, meaning, and purpose during an intense time of grief and overwhelm, and they credit this tragedy in strengthening their bond as a band and group of best friends.
What could have broken the band instead forged it, turning collaborators into family and grief into some of the most honest music they've made. Their debut album, Appalachian Bell Jar, waited through all of it before finally arriving on May 12th, 2025.
That joy, hard won and freely given, is the band's real superpower. It's what turns a live show into something closer to a living room gathering: intimate, unguarded, and full of the kind of energy you can't fake. Now touring coast to coast while writing and recording new music, Redd & the Paper Flowers are gearing up for their next chapter with Dead Little Thing, out October 2026.
Redd Daugherty
Redd is a Knoxville native and former high school English teacher and track/XC coach at L&N STEM Academy. In 2020, she quit teaching to pursue music full time and appeared on Season 19 of American Idol.
She is now the proud owner of Rush's Music, providing musical resources and joy to the Knoxville Community.
Redd loves poetry, sitting in the sun, and fiercely supporting her friends and fellow musicians. She finds musical influence in 60's and 70's folk rock.
Gavin Gregg
Gavin was born in Indiana, raised in South Carolina, and moved to Tennessee at age 11. He grew up in the bluegrass scene, learning alongside his brother and taking part in many musical projects.
Gavin currently works alongside Katie and Redd at Rush's Music as an apprentice woodwind repair technician.
He loves finding new bookstores to explore, sampling all the cold brews tour has to offer, and keeping the band in touch with their inner zen.
His musical influences include Bluegrass, Hip-hop, and R&B.
Katie Adams
Originally from Buffalo, New York, Katie earned her Bachelor’s in Music Education from Ithaca College, in Ithaca NY. She moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2020, where she earned a Master’s in Music Education from the University of Tennessee.
She served as the Professor of Bass at ETSU from 2022 to 2025, but ultimately gave it up to focus on the band.
Katie is often asked to perform with various orchestra, jazz, rock, and bluegrass projects. Some of her favorite shows include Edgar Meyer with Symphony of the Mountains, Chris Ferebee with Berry College faculty, and
Lee Dewyze on the Kelly Clarkson Show.
Katie works at Rush’s Music with Redd and Gavin as a sales associate. She enjoys hanging out with her dog, Peppa.
Her musical influences are mostly metal and classical, and also finds inspiration from her previous teachers, Nicholas Walker, Brett Shurtliffe, Will Cravy, and John Hamar.
Colleen d'Alelio
Colleen was raised in Northern Virginia by two music teachers, and grew up playing in school orchestra programs. She studied music and creative writing at Ithaca College, and always maintained a love for songwriting, folk, jazz, coffeehouse, and other alternative styles on the cello.
In 2020, she and Katie Adams moved to Knoxville and immediately fell in love with the sweet and supportive music scene.
Colleen loves to write, craft, sew, create merch designs for the band, and try anything that challenges her creatively. She has released music under her solo project, Stranger May.