Country music is currently in an interesting place. The genre is arguably more popular now than it has been since the mid-‘90s. Many new artists are finding ways to keep the music fresh and new while others are leaning into their old-school influences. This creates a variety of sound in country music that pulls in a wide variety of fans. Tonight (November 20), during the CMA Awards, we saw one of those new artists taking the stage with a legacy act to effectively bridge the gap between the genre’s most prominent eras in recent history. Jelly Roll and Brooks & Dunn made magic together onstage.
Videos by American Songwriter
Jelly Roll joined Brooks & Dunn to perform their 2005 hit “Believe” from the album Hillbilly Deluxe. It’s a great pick for a CMA Awards performance because the song brought the legendary duo three trophies at the awards show in 2006. It won Song of the Year, Single of the Year, and Music Video of the Year.
This isn’t the first time Jelly Roll has belted this Brooks & Dunn classic. They teamed up for a new rendition of the song on the duo’s most recent collaborative album Reboot 2. The live performance is arguably more impressive than the recorded version which was a highlight of the collection.
Jelly Roll singing ‘Believe’ with Brooks & Dunn is the collab we needed 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fwzRehx7mt
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) November 21, 2024
Brooks & Dunn on Jelly Roll
Earlier this month, Brooks & Dunn sat down with American Songwriter to talk about their new album. During their conversation, the award-winning country duo gave their honest opinions on Jelly Roll and other artists crossing over into country music.
“I don’t see the negative dynamic to it,” Dunn said when asked about Jelly Roll and other artists coming to country from other genres. “Let other people make those statements. I’m going to come at it as an artist and a creative type. At the same time, I grew up in West Texas and Oklahoma. There’s rock music out there, too, and different slants on what country should be,” he explained. “Let it eat. It’s all going to come back,” he added.
Kix Brooks shared his longtime collaborator’s opinion. Furthermore, he pointed out that if the fans didn’t like the new crop of country artists, they wouldn’t be successful. “Fans change because fans get older and young fans come in,” Brooks said. “That’s always been the way that this wheel turns. And, fans have always said this about people who are throwing rocks at some artist that is not classic, hasn’t been here forever, artists today that may have their start on TikTok or whatever. It’s like, ‘Stop throwing rocks. We have millions of fans out there. Let them decide,” he added.
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