ABC/Randy HolmesWhen you hear Ashley McBryde‘s breakthrough hit, “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega,” you might assume it’s based entirely on the personal experience of the singer. But that wasn’t the case, and in fact, it wasn’t until recently that Ashley even set foot in the Crimson Moon, the real-life bar immortalized in the song.
Ashley and Nicolette Hayford co-wrote “A Little Dive Bar” based on something that happened to their co-writer, Jesse Rice, one day in Georgia. Seems Jesse’s car broke down near Dahlonega, and he ducked into the Crimson Moon while his ride was being repaired. Singer/songwriter Shawn Mullins happened to be playing, and that same day, Jesse met Kendra, the woman who would become his wife.
Last September, Ashley did a show in that area, and couldn’t pass up the chance to do an impromptu set at the Crimson Moon. So, yes, she actually sang “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega” in a little dive bar in Dahlonega.
“It was so weird,” Ashley smiles. “It was like looking at a picture of a picture of a picture, or in a mirror that was facing itself. Like, we’re in the actual place where it happened and it was just magic. And that stage is so tiny. It’s awesome. And it says the Crimson Moon, and it’s got a little crescent moon over the top of it.”
“And to be in there and sitting where Shawn Mullins was playing when Jesse met Kendra that night,” Ashley continues, “it was just…it was crazy.”
The Arkansas native ended up playing for two-and-a-half hours that night. If you’re looking for the famous “Dive Bar in Dahlonega,” it’s just off the town square in the city, which is in the mountains of North Georgia.
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