McBride & The Ride Deliver Stellar Country Comeback
Yearlong Return to Country Scene Culminates in 5 Song EP Out Friday
NASHVILLE, TN (July 25, 2023)…Affirming it is indeed “Cool To Be Country,” ACM and CMA Nominated trio, McBride & The Ride, officially return with their new EP, Marlboros & Avon out Friday July 28. Tight 3-part harmonies and driving grooves abound on this long awaited 5-song project featuring all three original members Terry McBride (lead vocals/bass), Ray Herndon (vocals/guitar), and Billy Thomas (vocals/drums) for the first time in nearly 30 years.
The band has been steadily building their return starting with the release of the title track “Marlboros & Avon” last fall. This delightfully nostalgic song set the stage for an act that is not simply coasting off their 90s accolades, but emerging refreshed and ready to entertain. After a couple decades individually honing their chops playing with artists like Brooks & Dunn, Lyle Lovett, and Vince Gill, their musicianship and combined starpower is a force to be reckoned with.
Terry, Ray, and Billy have remained friends over the years and are enjoying performing together again. “We are just having so much fun. Writing and producing this project together has been super collaborative and a great way to use our collective strengths,” McBride shares. “There was no need for bells and whistles on the recording, it’s us playing stone cold country music just like we do at the live show.”
Listeners will enjoy the band’s take on Webb Pierce’s iconic “Honky Tonk Song” a rowdy number perfect for a night out from Nashville’s Broadway to New Braunfels, with twangy steel and throwback guitars. “Along Comes A Girl” is Nashville songwriting at its finest, with meaningful lyrics and a ‘see what they did there’ twist of the hook.
Country music fans worldwide continue to discover and rediscover the trio who have enthusiastically embraced social media platforms for the first time. McBride & The Ride are delighted by the “new” resources that they never had in the 90s. TikTok? They dove in. Hundreds of thousands of views later their fans have found them. Streaming? Try multiple editorial playlists and millions of plays. Radio? They did that too. “Marlboros & Avon” went Top 30 on the MusicRow chart, scorched the Texas charts, and even landed the #1 spot at Austin's KOKE FM. Add in a sold-out performance at the Grand Ole Opry and a packed touring schedule across the US and it’s safe to say…“they’re back”.
The band is also celebrating the release of their new EP with a free show Weds. August 9th at 6pm in Nashville at Ole Red. RSVP at hello@richlynngroup.com.
ABOUT MCBRIDE & THE RIDE
When they first began releasing music in 1989, McBride & The Ride released three acclaimed albums Burnin’ Up The Road, Sacred Ground, and Hurry Sundown, with hit singles like "Love on the Loose, Heart on the Run," “Sacred Ground,” "Going Out of My Mind," and many more. In the spring of 2021, they announced they were reuniting and going back in the studio to record new music. Though the band has been on and off over the past 30 years, its members have thrived through their individual careers. Ray Herndon has been Lyle Lovett’s lead guitarist since 1985 and has had songs cut by Kenny Chesney, Aaron Tippin, Lee Greenwood, Linda Davis and more, he continues to operate his family’s historic club, Handlebar J, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Terry McBride has had quite a fruitful career, writing major hits for Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire, Easton Corbin, Cody Johnson and more. He toured with Brooks & Dunn through most of their biggest years playing bass and writing songs. Billy Thomas moved to Nashville from Los Angeles in 1987 and immediately started working with Vince Gill along with many other country stars (Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless, Steve Wariner & Earl Scruggs). He’s been Gill’s drummer on the road and in the studio ever since, adding background vocals to his many hits, as well as joining him as a member of The Time Jumpers, one of Nashville’s favorite bands. The trio’s upcoming EP, Marlboros & Avon, produced by all three members, is set to release in 2023, their first offering of original music in nearly 30 years.