Nashville’s beloved storytelling country singer names 10 artists who have changed her life with their words and their performances.
When Arkansas native Ashley McBryde became an official member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2022, her tears of gratitude flowed freely, and the crowd of country traditionalists was captivated.
Folks there that night could see what was going on inside her mind as she sang her hit ballad “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” before fellow artist Terri Clark inducted her. And if they didn’t know how bowled over she was in the moment, they knew soon after when McBryde gave her remarks.
“This moment is the biggest of my life,” she said as she wept. This, from an artist who had seen plenty of big moments since “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” – the 2018 song and the album of the same name – won her recognition outside Nashville, where she’d worked her way up from obscurity.
McBryde says her first few years in Music City and on the road were defined by solo bar gigs and the struggles and self-doubt that plague many budding artists. What saved her during those times were her belief in the music itself as well as a growing sense of community among peers and supporters.
She still looks back and cherishes the “nights in bars letting our songs battle it out in front of rooms of strangers.
“Seeing one another and smiling, feeling kindred because we were all keeping the highway hot — that united us no matter who we were, where we came from, or what genre we were out there representing.”
The bars may be where McBryde cut her performing teeth, but she’s been a sucker for story-rich songwriting since she was a kid. Her solo albums are packed with unforgettable turns of phrase and the kinds of characters that practically jump out of the speakers. The 2022 concept album Lindeville took her narrative sensibilities to new heights; McBryde and several bigname collaborators built a whole story, concept, and characters in tribute to the late tunesmith Dennis Linde.
Honoring those who’ve come before her while bringing along contemporaries and younger artists – that’s pretty much McBryde’s blueprint. That’s why we at C&I asked her to put on her recommending hat and share with you some of the music that shaped and continues to influence her.
“I keep my core value: When you make it over the wall, it’s your duty to help the next artist over the wall.”
Ashley McBryde’s Musical Heroes
The honky-tonk heroes and storytelling songwriters who both shaped her and continue to inspire her.
Travis Meadows
“I knew songs changed lives. I heard that songs saved lives. But these facts didn’t sink into my bones until Travis Meadows hit my ears. He changed how I say things, and he challenged me on what I was willing to write about. Listen to his album Killin’ Uncle Buzzy.”
Lori McKenna
“A friend burned a CD for me that included Lorraine and Bittertown (both purchased responsibly and burned one time) more than 10 years ago. I can tell you what state and city I was in and which highway I was on when I played it. I can tell you that because I pulled over and listened to the first track, ‘The Luxury of Knowing’, a second and third time. It’s “stops you in your tracks” kind of songwriting. That’s Lori McKenna.”
Guy Clark
“‘Stuff That Works’ stuck out early in my life from Guy’s catalog. Everything about that song told me I’d have a lot in common with the man behind it. Guy’s way of painting the picture for us without using fancy paints and $40 words is mesmerizing.”
Kris Kristofferson
“My first ‘music crush,’ and who I wanted to be most like from an early age. My family had a VHS tape of Willie Nelson, Bobby Bare, and Kris singing in the round, and I watched him perform ‘To Beat The Devil’ and ‘The Silver Tongued Devil and I.’ He showed me the mark of a good song is that it gets heard through, over and above any distractions you encounter. It shines through darkness and cuts like a hot blade to get you right in the guts. A true, true icon.”
Dolly Parton
“I know. We all say Dolly. I mean, of course we do; she has influenced every single one of us. What I’d like to make sure you hear are her bluegrass records: Little Sparrow and Halos & Horns. And most importantly, the live record Heartsongs. It is fully responsible for my stage banter style. What I learned from Dolly and the Bluegrassers I watched growing up, no one else can teach you. She keeps you relaxed but on your toes. To call what she does ‘magical’ is a gross understatement.”
Alison Krauss / Alison Krauss and Union Station
“These records shaped me from a very early age. The first record I placed on the turntable myself was I’ve Got That Old Feeling. Every Time You Say Goodbye and So Long, So Wrong and Lonesome Runs Both Ways … forget about it. Talk about an artist and band that are committed to ‘it’s all about the music.’”
Lucinda Williams
“Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is in the top three of my favorite records of all time. Lucinda’s songwriting, her production choices, and the longevity of her career, along with her reputation of sticking to her guns, are to be admired and striven toward in my own career.”
Patty Griffin
“Easily one of the greatest songwriters of our time. What she does isn’t just songwriting; it’s conjuring at its finest. ‘Up to the Mountain’ will save you from even yourself. ‘When It Don’t Come Easy’ taught me about the kind of love I want. ‘Long Ride Home’ makes you self-reflect and change your ways before it’s too late. Whatever your need, Patty will deliver. Seeing her live is like watching a legend recognize itself as such.”
The Chicks
“The Chicks blended Texas sensibilities with Bluegrass-rooted harmonies and gifted that to country listeners. They weren’t afraid to cut amazing songs like Patty Griffin’s ‘Let Him Fly’ or ‘Top of the World’ or say things lovingly irreverent like ‘Sin Wagon.’ They also had the smash hits they needed to succeed on the Nashville side of our genre. Well-rounded, take-noshit, leave-it-all-on-the-stage kind of artists. It was a Chicks show during the Fly Tour when 12-year-old me looked at my mom and said, ‘That’s what I’m gonna be one day.’”
Stephen Wilson Jr.
“Where do I even start? The songwriting and vocal allure of a life well lived and hard-won. Stephen Wilson Jr. may rip your heart into tiny pieces with a song. But in the next, he’ll hand you the tools to patch it up. Not since Chris Stapleton’s Traveler has an artist hit me the way this man does. ‘Grief is Only Love’ will sting and will free you in the same breath. søn of dad is a record so strong that picking out one track seems silly to me. You just need Stephen Wilson Jr. in your life. That’s all.”
From our May/June 2025 issue.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Katie Kauss
