Ashley McBryde honors Kris Kristofferson with ballad

Ashley McBryde honors Kris Kristofferson with ballad

Nervous tears were set deep in the eyes of Grammy-winning 2024 Country Music Association Female Artist of the Year nominee Ashley McBryde when discussing her planned performance of Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through The Night” at Wednesday evening’s CMA Awards.

“I’ve been singing (“Help Me Make It Through The Night”) since I was a child, so there was no chance that I would forget a chord or a word,” noted the Grand Ole Opry member prior to the performance.

“Honoring the moment and the song was important,” she added regarding Kristofferson’s 1970-released song that benefited from versions by artists including Sammi Smith, Willie Nelson, Joe Simon and Gladys Knight and The Pips, among many others.

McBryde recalled meeting Kristofferson via Eric Church at BMI’s Songwriter’s Festival in Maui. The legend was himself, a Maui resident who owned 25 acres on the island’s Southeastern shore for three decades.

When Church’s wife, Katherine, suggested they meet, the “Lindeville” album vocalist burst into tears because Kristofferson was her and her father’s favorite songwriter.

“Once I gathered myself and we finally met, it was wonderful.”

‘Ain’t Enough Cowboy Songs’

Also of note, McBryde’s latest single, “Ain’t Enough Cowboy Songs,” is set for release on Dec. 6.

Its creation relates well to the legacy of Kristofferson, the artist she honored at the CMA Awards.

Written alongside Chris Harris and Patrick Savage, the ballad highlights her desire to, amid a changing industry, remain steadfast to timeless principles.

“In the last several years, we’ve all felt like something is missing. I noticed it in myself and most people I came in contact with. And we don’t always know how to articulate it. The cowboys we looked up to growing up made us want to be the way we are — the music associated with them and the lives they lead. There’s no substitute for hard work, resilience, kindness, standing up for and with folks in their weaker moments and knowing when to take it on. the chin and when to give it. And it doesn’t matter what else we may try to fill that hole with…there ain’t enough of it to ever resemble the real thing.”