Bluegrass legend Del McCoury will turn 83 years old just days before the release of Almost Proud, The Del McCoury Band’s 17th studio album. Due out on Feb. 18, the record will include a collaboration with his longtime friend Vince Gill called “Honky Tonk Nights.”
Though the duo have been friends for years, this is the first time that McCoury has found a song that he thought was a fit for Gill to record with him. It’s a bluegrass drinking song, with both McCoury and Gill picking and harmonizing the chorus: “I’m a whiskey drinking fool / Sitting on an old barstool / But the good news is your memory’s fading fast.”
Hear the Vince Gill collaboration “Honky Tonk Nights” below.
McCoury spent the pandemic pouring over hundreds of potential songs for the band’s upcoming record. Almost Proud is McCoury’s first studio release in five years, and the record’s previous singles “Running Wild” and “Once Again,” have already made the album one of the year’s most anticipated.
The Del McCoury Band continues its relentless touring schedule into the spring, including a return to The Caverns in Pelham, Tenn. on March 5.
The Del McCoury Band 2022 Tour Dates:
Jan. 29 — Owings Mills, Md. @ Gordon Center for Performing Arts
Feb. 10 — Park City, Utah @ Egyptian Theatre
Feb. 11 — Park City, Utah @ Egyptian Theatre
Feb. 12 — Park City, Utah @ Egyptian Theatre
March 5 — Pelham, Tenn. @ The Caverns
March 25 — Newberry, S.C. @ Newberry Opera House
March 26 — Brooksville, Fla. @ Spring Bluegrass Festival 2022