Ashley McBryde: Arkansas Influence in Her Music

If you’ve ever listened to an Ashley McBryde song and you suddenly had a hankering for a cold beer and felt like sitting on a front porch (even if you don’t have one) and look reflectively as you watch the sun set, that’s no accident. Born and raised in small-town Arkansas, she writes with the kind of authenticity that can only come from someone who’s lived the stories they’re telling.  

Her music is filled with grit, grace, and Southern life. Through her relatable lyrics and fearless honesty, McBryde turned the truths of rural living into hit songs, making her one of country music’s most genuine songwriters.  

McBryde grew up in Saddle/Mammoth Springs, Arkansas, on a cattle farm that was “seriously in the middle of nowhere.” She said that they lived between three towns with no stoplight or Walmart, about 6-8 miles south of the Missouri border. She lived with her family on a 2.5-mile dirt road where they raised horses, cows, chickens, and where she needed to learn hands-on outdoor skills.   

On Wednesday nights after church, their main source of entertainment is getting ice cream at Dairy Queen in Missouri. The family lived near Pilot Church of Christ, and their early life was rooted in farming.  

This rural upbringing shaped her musical perspective. This isolation and rural lifestyle turned out to be a positive thing for her since there’s nothing to distract her from learning guitar and developing her musical skills. She also attributes this rural environment to fostering her appreciation for writing about her authentic experiences.  

McBryde is also proud of her Arkansas’ rich musical legacy. She often mentions this during interviews, especially when she’s asked about her potential for success. The humble state produced legendary musicians including Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Glen Campbell, Levon Helm, and Collin Raye. Additional legends include Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who pioneered Gospel/Rock, and Scott Joplin, a ragtime composer.   

It might also come as a surprise to others, but the Grand Ole Opry was inspired by the 1919 Ozark music festival held in Mammoth Spring, less than 15 miles from McBryde’s childhood home. A journalist named George Hay attended the music festival for a Memphis newspaper assignment and was so moved by the performances that he later created the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 1925.  

At an early age, McBryde was already exposed to bluegrass and mountain music, which influenced her musical style and storytelling approach. She attended bluegrass festivals where she learned guitar by asking musicians at these festivals to show her chords. According to her, her father played Kris Kristofferson, Gordon Lightfoot, and “so much John Denver” that she can sing it in her sleep.  

Aside from bluegrass and mountain music, her mother also exposed her to show tunes and classical music. Her key music influences included Pam Tillis, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, and Union Station, who has a “mega influence” on her.   

McBryde’s country music journey came full circle, from her Arkansas origins to her career now. She was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2022, received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Arkansas State University on May this year, and went back to Arkansas State University as a “Grammy Award winning songwriter and a member of the Grand Ole Opry” after leaving as “a broke, guitar-playing, song-writing chick who played in bars for a living.”