This new country star took over Eric Church’s show at his invitation

Ashley McBryde/YouTube screenshot

You may not yet know the name Ashley McBryde, but you will. She’s the up-and-comer several established country stars, including Eric Church and Jake Owen, are raving about.

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Eric called her “a whiskey-drinking badass” when he brought her out onstage during his mid-April tour stop at Allstate Arena in the Chicago area. He told his fans, “There’s a young lady here who I have become a massive fan of, and you guys are gonna be a massive fan of her real soon. She’s just starting this journey of a career, and she’s unquestionably my favorite artist out right now.”

After she joined him onstage, they performed an acoustic version of a song Ashley wrote called “Bible and a .44.” It was, indeed, badass.

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Jake also sang her praises in a May 30 tweet, sharing another of her songs, “Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega,” accompanied by the message, “Hell yeah. Great song.” Ashley quickly responded with thanks and “#butterflies.”

The Arkansas native, who self-released her debut EP, “Jalopies and Expensive Guitars,” last year, has two strong professional connections to Eric. They share a manager, and she’s recording her first full-length album with Eric’s producer, Jay Joyce.

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Look for Ashley on the road this year. She’s scheduled to perform twice during CMA Music Festival in Nashville (on June 7 and 9), and on the Grand Ole Opry June 16. She’ll also be at Lake Shake, Watershed and Route 91 Harvest. And she has two more opportunities to impress Eric in September when she’s featured on two more of his tour stops.

What do you think?

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