3 Top-Shelf Songs to Celebrate Ashley McBryde on Her Birthday

Ashley McBryde burst onto the country music scene in 2018 with her debut album Girl Goin’ Nowhere. Since then, she has released a total of four solo albums, one collaborative album, and a pair of EPs. While she has never received major chart success, the Arkansas native has built a large and passionate fanbase with her sharp songwriting and electric concerts. Her discography is proof that quality and chart success aren’t always the same thing.

Today (July 29) is McBryde’s birthday. To celebrate we’re going to look at three songs from her ever-growing catalog.

“A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega”—Ashley McBryde’s Debut Single

Ashley McBryde wrote “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega” with Nicolette Hayford and Jesse Rice. The idea for the song came from a conversation the writers had to get to know one another. They each shared a story of a bad day they’d had. Rice recalled breaking down in Dahlonega, Georgia, and spending some time in a small dive bar called the Crimson Moon, according to Songfacts.

Much like the story in the song, Rice went into the bar to grab a drink and kill some time. He met his future wife in that little dive bar. McBryde immortalized his story when she released the song in October 2017 as her debut single and the lead single from her debut album Girl Goin’ Nowhere.

“Girl Goin’ Nowhere”—McBryde Shares Her Story

“Girl Goin’ Nowhere” is the title track and third single from McBryde’s debut album. In the song, she compares the disparaging things she heard from people in her small town to her budding success. In an interview with Billboard, she revealed that a real-life interaction with a teacher inspired the song.

“We were in algebra class—and I try not to say the teacher’s name because I wouldn’t want her to gain any fame off the song—and we’re going around the room, and she asked each of us what we were going to do with our lives,” McBryde recalled. She told the teacher she planned to move to Nashville and write songs. “I was going to be on the radio, whether I was singing them or somebody else was,” she told her classmates and teacher. “In front of the whole class, she looked at me and said, ‘That’s stupid. That won’t happen. You need to remember where you’re from and have a good backup plan,’” she recalled.

“Bonfire at Tina’s”—A Highlight from Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville

“Bonfire at Tina’s” is a moment of unity near the end of the character-driven collaborative album Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville. McBryde co-wrote the song with Aaron Raitiere, Nicolette Hayford, Benjy Davis, Brandy Clark, and Connie Harrington. On the album, she performs the song alongside Brandy Clark, Caylee Hammack, and Hayford under her stage name Pillbox Patti.

McBryde spoke to Kelliegh Bannen about the song on Today’s Country Radio. “I love that song. There’s nothing I don’t love about that song,” she said. “Small-town women, we ain’t built to get along. We’re not. We’re not designed that way, we’re not raised that way, we’re not trained that way,” she added.

“We are trained to not like each other off the bat, but we’ll get together and hate somebody in a heartbeat. We don’t like each other, but we all don’t like that guy,” she explained.

Featured Image by Geoffrey Clowes