Ashley McBryde

Ashley Dyan McBryde (born July 29, 1983) is an American country music singer–songwriter. She grew up in Arkansas and she was drawn to various types of music from a young age. She also developed a passion for writing songs and later moved to Nashville to pursue a music career.

Between 2006 and 2011, McBryde released a pair of self-released albums. Her 2016 extended play (EP) titled Jalopies & Expensive Guitars drew attention from country artist Eric Church. His support helped her gain a country music recording contract with Warner Music Nashville. In 2017, the label released her debut single "A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega". The song was followed by her corresponding studio release Girl Going Nowhere (2018). Both the album and the single received critical acclaim and led to recognition from several music associations. It was followed by 2020's Never Will, which was also met with critical acclaim. Its lead single "One Night Standards" reached the top 20 of the American country songs chart and topped the Canadian country survey.

McBryde has received one Grammy Award from six nominations, one Country Music Association Award, three Academy of Country Music Awards, and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. She earned one of country music's crowning achievements when she was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry by Garth Brooks and was subsequently inducted by Terri Clark on December 10, 2022.

McBryde was born in Waldron, Arkansas and raised in Saddle, Arkansas. Her father was a farmer, doctor, and preacher; she grew up in a strict household. "when I was growing up, [and] I don’t ever remember not seeing a gun or a Bible. He raised us that way--as mean as that sounds, and as sweet as that sounds, too," she told Billboard. According to AY Magazine, "her mother read to her every night–a chapter from the Bible and a chapter from a Laura Ingalls Wilder book." As a child she was drawn to the music she heard around her house, which included songs by The Carpenters and Kris Kristofferson. She often played around on her father's guitar, which prompted her family to buy McBryde her own guitar. McBryde wrote her first song at age 12 and hoped to become a singer–songwriter. She also traveled with her mother to bluegrass festivals which further inspired her music career.

McBryde participated in the high school marching band before attending Arkansas State University where she studied French horn. At the same time she was performing regularly in clubs located in nearby Memphis, Tennessee. In one class session, a college professor noticed her disinterest and suggested she drop out to pursue music full-time. "So I did, that day," she recalled.

In 2006, McBryde self-released an eponymous demo album. In 2007, McBryde moved to Nashville to pursue a music career. She started performing with the band Deadhorse and performed at any gig she could get. This included biker bars and hangouts, and other eclectic venues in the Nashville area. She also worked a day job at Guitar Center and played open mic nights. In 2009 and 2010, she won the annual Country Showdown talent competition. McBryde's band also won Tennessee's state-wide "Battle of the Bands" contest. In 2011, she self-released her second demo album titled Elsebound. During this period, McBryde also toured frequently. She often opened concerts for country artists like Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton, and Chris Cagle.

In 2016, McBryde released the extended play (EP) Jalopies & Expensive Guitars. The project was issued on Road Life Records. For the album cover, McBryde straightened her hair. "We were trying to play the game," she told The New York Times. She was also instructed to lose 20 pounds. The EP was discovered by Eric Church, who invited McBryde to play her song "Bible and a .44" onstage with him during one night of his "Holdin' My Own" tour. The video of her performance went viral and she was soon finding regular concert work. She also signed a management deal with Q Publishing during this same period. Also around this time, McBryde recorded what would later comprise her debut studio album. The project was heard by Cris Lacy, a senior vice president for Warner Music Nashville. Lacy was drawn to her music and signed McBryde to a recording contract with the label in September 2017.

In 2017, Warner Music released McBryde's debut single titled "A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega". The track became a popular download, taking higher positions on iTunes than that of more established acts like Paramore. The song climbed to number 30 on both Billboard's Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts. It was later named one of the 54 Best Songs of 2017 by The New York Times, and one of the Top 25 Best Country Songs of 2017 by Rolling Stone. In March 2018, the label released her debut studio album called Girl Going Nowhere. The disc reached number seven on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 49 on the Billboard 200. Critics praised Girl Going Nowhere for going beyond country music's expectations for a record. Other critics like Robert Ham found that McBryde pushed for quality music versus radio-friendly hits: "The needle may keep moving for female country artists, but that’s of little concern to McBryde. She’s on a journey toward career longevity and Nowhere is her confident and solid first step." The album later spawned the title track as a single, which charted in the Country Airplay top 40.