Whether she’s on the CMA Stage or the side of a highway in small town Arkansas, Ashley McBryde is one of the best artists and human beings in all of country music.
During last week’s CMAs, Ashley had the honor of performing “Help Me Make It Through The Night” with just her and a guitar for the Kris Kristofferson tribute and it was easily one of the best moments of the night and one of the all-time great CMA performances.
In a night of performances that were, shall we say, less than stellar, this was a standout, proving yet again that Ashley McBryde is hugely overlooked in country music.
Ashley McBryde is one of the most underrated acts in country music. Period.#CMAawards
— Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) November 21, 2024
It’s been a long road for Ashley, who released her debut studio album Jalopies & Expensive Guitars (an excellent title if I do say so myself) in 2016 after self-releasing two demo tapes in 2006 and 2011. She moved to Nashville in 2007 and began doing what any aspiring musician did (before TikTok at least), taking any possible gig and playing every available open mic night while working a day job to pay the bills. She had some minor success locally, winning back-to-back Country Showdown‘s and a state-wide Battle of the Bands tournament, before scoring some opening gigs for Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton, and Chris Cagle.
Jalopies & Expensive Guitars caught the interest of Eric Church, who invited her to sing “Bible and a .44” on stage with him during a Chicago stop on his Holdin’ My Own tour, a performance that now lives in country music lore.
That moment was a major stepping stone in Ashley’s career and lead to her biggest successes in songs like “One Night Standards” and “Never Wanted To Be That Girl”, a duet with Carly Pearce that went number one, won Musical Event of the Year at the 2022 CMAs, and won a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
I’ll die on the hill that her best songs are the album cuts that never saw a radio wave. Try listening to “The Jacket”, “Southern Babylon”, “Voodoo Doll”, and “Livin’ Next to Leroy” and honestly tell me those aren’t some of the best tracks you’ve (maybe) never heard. Sure, it’s unfair and she deserves more but that’s also exactly what makes her such an alluring artist. Similar to Kip Moore and to an extent Eric Church, people will know her for the couple big hits but real fans know there’s gold nuggets hiding in plain sight throughout her catalogue.
Which brings us to a very cool moment that happened a few days ago in Ashley McBryde’s hometown of Waldron, Arkansas.
Ashley was honored by the town of 3,386 people where she grew up in a ceremony that took place on the side of the road next to a brand new sign the people in local government were bursting with excitement to share.
Per a decree from the mayor, November 24th will now be called “Ashley McBryde” in Waldron, Arkansas and her name would proudly be displayed on a “Welcome to Waldron” sign on Highway 71.
We’ve seen similar things happen to Carly Pearce in Kentucky and every time it makes me smile knowing that these “big time” stars still care so much for the place where they were raised. It proves there’s truth to the cliche that there’s no place like home.
Big shoutout to Waldron, Arkansas and a big cheers to Ashley McBryde. I’ve been a fan for years now and can’t wait to hear what comes next.