Atlantic

Ashley McBryde‘s follow-up to her breakthrough hit, “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega,” is the autobiographical “Girl Goin’ Nowhere,” which is also the title track of her debut album for Warner Nashville.

Ashley’s version is climbing the chart now, but it’s also been covered by one of the biggest stars on the planet: Garth Brooks.

At first, the Arkansas native admits she thought her iPhone was playing tricks on her.

“The first thing that happened was I got a text,” Ashley explains. “You know, with the way Apple works, it might say ‘Maybe Ashley’ if I texted you.”

“So I got a text from ‘Maybe Garth,’ and it says, ‘Is this the correct information for Ashley McBryde?’ And I’m like, ‘There’s no way this is Garth Brooks. No way.’”

“I texted back, ‘Yes sir,’ just in case. And he said, ‘Can I call you tomorrow at 1:15?’”

“‘Yes sir!’” Ashley responded. “Then he calls, and it’s legit: Garth Brooks.”

When the winningest Entertainer of the Year in CMA history got Ashley on the phone, they talked about a couple of her songs.

“He asked about ‘Girl Goin’ Nowhere’ and ‘A Bible and a .44,’” Ashley recalls. “And he wanted to know about my family and my upbringing and my parents and how was their health?”

“And then I didn’t even know he was gonna cover the song until later in the year, when he did it in Tacoma and Spokane,” says Ashley. “He did send out an email and a text to say, ‘We’re gonna put it on the live record,’ which is insane.”

In Garth’s hands, Ashley’s song becomes “Guy Goin’ Nowhere.” Currently, the only way to hear it is to order The Anthology, Part III: Live from Amazon, or via fan video on YouTube.

Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.