Top 10 Ashley McBryde Songs

Ashley McBryde Songs

Feature Photo: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

This Top 10 Ashley McBryde Songs list presents the best Ashley McBryde Songs including “One Night Standards” “Martha Divine,” and so many more.Ashley McBryde was born in 1983 into a household that had a father for a minister so it was a strict family environment that may sound harsh for some, but according to McBryde, it was also sweet. Born and raised in Arkansas, McBryde took an early interest in music and was influenced by songs that were released by The Carpenters and Kris Kristofferson. Often, she’d play her father’s guitar that gave her parents cause to buy one of her own. By the time she was twelve years old, she began writing her own songs as she had dreams to become a singer-songwriter one day. In high school, she played in the band and once in college she took up french horn. While attending the Arkansas State University, she performed at clubs near Memphis, Tennessee. When McBryde’s professor observed she lacked interest in her studies, it was he that convinced her to drop out and pursue music full-time. She took his advice and left that same day.

Getting Started

In 2006, Ashley McBryde released a debut album before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2007. She began to perform with Deadhorse, a band she teamed up with in hopes to perform any gig she could score. This included playing in biker bars, hangouts, and eclectic venues in the area. When she wasn’t performing at night she had a day job at Guitar Center. When she won the annual Country Showdown talent competition in 2009 and 2010 as well as a Battle of the Bands competition, this encouraged her to release her second debut album in 2011. It was titled Elsebound.

It would be during this time she embarked on frequent concert tours, opening for bigger name artists such as Chris Cagle, Willie Nelson, and Chris Stapleton. When 2016 came around, McBryde released Jalopies & Expensive Guitars, her first official extended play (EP). That particular project was issued by Road Life Records, who told the songstress she should make adjustments to her overall appearance. The music on her EP was enough for Eric Church to invite McBryde to play one of her songs from that EP while on the stage with him while he was on his Holding My Own tour. The video of her performance became popular enough to earn her regular concert work. At this point, she signed a management deal with Q Publishing that later saw her produce her debut album, NAME, that led to a record deal with Warner Music Nashville.

Big Breakthrough

Ashley McBryde’s rise in popularity began after she signed with Warner Music Nashville as 2017 marked the year her debut single, “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega” put her on the US Billboard music charts for the first time. In 2018, her first studio album with them, Girl Going Nowhere, was released. It became a popular enough album to reach number seven on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart and at number forty-nine on the US Billboard 200.

Ashley McBryde was cited for pushing quality music over radio-friendly hits by some music critics, seeing this as a good thing. 2017 also marked the year Ashley McBryde made her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. In 2018, the Academy of Country Music recognized Ashley McBryde as New Female Artist of the Year, as did the Country Music Association. After her 2018 tour was complete, she joined George Strait and his Little Big Town tour in 2019 on several concert dates.

In April 2020, McBryde’s second studio album, Never Will, was released. it sounded much like the debut album, which some critics took notice as they shared their opinions about it, which was a good thing as it also earned a series of nominations from the big names of the music industry that realized Ashley McBryde showed potential to be more than a one-hit-wonder. Another tour was in the works for McBryde but the complications that rose up from COVID-19 destroyed those plans.

Instead, McBryde recorded and released a live EP, Never Will: Live from a Distance. When 2021 came around, she returned to performing and touring, as well as collaborated with Carly Pearce on the duet single, “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.” However, that tour ran into scheduling issues after McBryde sustained a minor injury after falling from a horse.

The mix of McBryde’s bluegrass, country, and rock has so far summed up the style of music she is best known for. She has credited this influence to Mary Chapin Carpenter, Charlie Daniels, Patty Loveless, Dolly Parton, and Hank Williams. So far, McBryde has two studio albums, two EPs, two demo albums, eight music videos, seven singles, and five promotional singles to her credit. With material as new as 2021, it stands to reason Ashley McBryde there will be more music to come from this talented singer-songwriter that has definitely made her childhood dreams come true.

Top 10 Ashley McBryde Songs

#10 – Andy (I Can’t Live Without You)

From Girl Going Nowhere, Ashley McBryde’s intensely vulnerable ballad, “Andy (I Can’t Live Without You)” served as an emotional plea to her best friend, Andrew Sovine. When this song was written by McBryde, she was in the kitchen of a place these two people shared, dealing with whatever mess it was Sovine left behind. Many fans can easily relate to this tale of heartbreak, one that was beautifully told by McBryde that showed there was more than just one side to this talented singer-songwriter. With that acoustic guitar in her hands, the gentle touch seemed to flow through those fingers just as smoothly as the melody that flowed from McBryde’s crystal clear vocals.

#9 – Girl Goin’ Nowhere

When Ashley McBryde was still in high school, aspiring to become a singer-songwriter, she had a teacher that told her the dream was a stupid endeavor to pursue. “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” served as a told-you-so song that proved that teacher wrong, as well as anybody else that may have doubted the young woman’s talent and tenacity. This 2018 song came from McBryde’s debut album, Girl Going Nowhere. Beautiful and soft, McBryde’s talent as a guitarist and vocalist shined through as brilliant as the lyrics behind the song and its “look at me now” meaning.

#8 – American Scandal

The 2018 single, “American Scandal,” came from Ashley McBryde’s album, Girl Going Nowhere. This beautiful love song focused on the romantic scandal that involved Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy. According to McBryde’s take on the tale, she found herself wanting that same brand of old-fashioned romance to take place in her own life. Vulnerable ballads from McBryde serve as the best examples how remarkable the woman’s vocal talent truly is. Both the fans and music critics have taken notice, as well as her peers that recognize raw talent when they encounter it.

#7 – Hang In There Girl

“Hang In there Girl” was the third song that was part of a trilogy that began with “One Night Standards.” From there, it went to “Martha Divine” before the tale was finished off with “Hang In There Girl.” Unlike the first two singles, this one was released as a promotional single and did not chart. All three of these songs came from Ashley McBryde’s second studio album, Never Will, which was released in 2019. Even on its own, “Hang In There Girl” is a song of encouragement and reassurance, a song that was inspired by McBryde as a young lady that dealt with the frustrations of growing pains that hurt more emotionally than they ever do physically.

#6 – Bible and a .44

“Bible and a .44” was a single that was featured on her EP, Jalopies & Expensive Guitars. This was McBryde’s lyrical tale revolving around the difficult relationship she had with her father as he did not approve the idea of any of his children making a living in the entertainment industry. This beautifully gentle song saw McBryde at her sincerest with a love song that was addressed to her terminally ill father. “Bible and a .44” allowed fans and critics to witness a soft side to an otherwise seemingly hard-edged McBryde.

#5 – Martha Divine

The single, “Martha Divine,” appeared on the music charts near the end of 2020, approximately two years after her second album, Never Will, was released. “Martha Divine” was the second of three songs in a music video trilogy that saw “One Night Standards” serve as the startup. The song to finish the story was “Hang In There Girl.” “Martha Divine” peaked at number fifty-nine on the US Billboard Country Airplay. In this part of the three-song story, the focus was on a daughter that became furious upon learning her mother was cheated on by her father. McBryde’s intent behind the single was fashioned after the theme of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” Instead of the plea of not stealing a man away it became an aggressive decision to do harm upon the mistress and her actions.

#4 – Never Wanted to Be That Girl (featuring Carly Pearce)

In 2021, Ashley McBryde sang the role of the mistress who was in love with a man that happened to be married. Carly Pearce sang the role of the heartbroken wife that learns of this love triangle. As the ladies exchange lyrics in “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” the tale of how complicated such a relationship can be was played out in a manner some fans could easily relate to with their own experiences. From McBryde’s side of this tear-jerking ballad, she was a surprised mistress that learned the man she had been seeing was married to another woman. As soon as she learned about it, she came clean with Pearce’s role as the wife who didn’t realize she was married to an unfaithful husband.

#3 – Fooled Around and Fell in Love (featuring Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Tenille Townes, Caylee Hammack, and Elle King)

The original 1976 version of “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” came from blues guitarist, Elvin Bishop, and lead vocalist, Mickey Thomas. When this song was recorded, instead of using his gravelly voice as the lead vocalist, he had his background singer, Thomas, do it instead. It became a number three hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and a certified gold seller by the RIAA. It was a number twenty-two hit on Canada’s official singles chart and a number eight hit on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart.

It also made an impression in New Zealand as it charted as high as number three there. As for the 2019 collaboration that featured Ashley McBryde, Caylee Hammack, Elle King, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, and Tennille Townes, “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” became a number forty-seven hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, as well as earning Musical Event of the Year with the 2019 Academy of Country Music Awards. Miranda Lambert was the brainchild behind this single, which was released as a track on her Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour.

#2 – One Night Standards

In 2019, “One Night Standards” was the lead single released from her album, Never Will. It was her first number one hit with the RPM Canadian Country Tracks, as well as a number eleven hit on the US Billboard Country Airplay, and a number seventeen hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It also became her first crossover hit, peaking at number seventy-six on the US Billboard Hot 100.

To date, “One Night Standards” has been her best-selling single as it became certified platinum with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and certified gold with Music Canada. In the song, McBryde laid out some ground rules that revolved around one night stands. In the music video, “One Night Standards” has Ashley McBryde working as a receptionist of a hotel that found herself tangled in a one night stand mess. It was the first of three songs that formed a trilogy-style storyline. The second song in this tale was “Martha Divine,” and the third was “Hang In there Girl.”

#1 – A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega

Ashley McBryde released her debut single through Warner Music Nashville, “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega,” in 2017 after signing up with them in 2016. It became popular enough to peak at number thirty on the US Billboard Country Airplay and US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts as well as become certified gold by the RIAA. On the RPM Canadian Country Tracks chart, “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega” peaked at number forty-five.

The inspiration behind this lyrical performance came from an actual experience of a man meeting a woman that became his wife after meeting her at a dive bar after his car broke down that forced him to pull over. What looked like was a bad day for the man turned out to be the best moment in his life. Among the fans who heard this country-pop gem, it struck as a true romantic-at-heart experience that has the magic to pass as a cult classic that will stand the test of time.

Top 10 Ashley McBryde Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022

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