John Peets PhotographyThis weekend, newcomer Ashley McBryde stepped into a coveted spot, opening two dates for Eric Church. But while the Arkansas native has gotten plenty of attention for her latest single, “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega,” it was an earlier appearance with Eric that initially put her on the map.
At the time, Ashley was working on her new album with Eric’s longtime producer Jay Joyce, and Eric reached out with an invitation to his show in Chicago.
“I’ve never been on a private plane before, of course, and we flew there,” she explains. “And the pilot handed me a bottle of Angel’s Envy, which is a very nice bourbon. And I was like, ‘I don’t know whose this is, but I’m happy to hold it!'”
When it came time for soundcheck, Ashley says things got even more surreal.
“I’ve never been in an arena when it wasn’t full of people,” she tells ABC Radio, “so they gave me one of Eric’s guitars and had me go out… And I was really glad to have that experience because had I had to walk into a full arena, I probably would’ve fallen down.”
“When Eric said, ‘I want to do “Bible and a .44” because I already know the words…’” Ashley explains, “I thought ‘Not only am I gonna sing with the Chief, he wants to sing a song that I wrote about my Dad.’ I was blown away!”
You can check out Ashley and Eric’s performance on YouTube. Look for details about her new album, coming soon.
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