Grammy 2021 : Paras country-albumi-ehdokas.

A vocalist and songwriter with a touch of rock & roll swagger, a honky tonk heart, and a lyrical voice that puts a modern-day spin on classic country themes, Ashley McBryde put in years of hard work before becoming an overnight success. Hailing from Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, McBryde first displayed her interest in music when she was three years old and tried to play her father's guitar. After repeatedly telling young Ashley to leave the instrument alone, her parents decided the best solution was to get her a guitar of her own. After learning to play, McBryde stuck with the guitar, and at 17 she wrote her first song. Initially, she was shy about sharing her work, and it wasn't until she enrolled at Arkansas State University (where she played in the marching band) that she began playing her songs for people outside her immediate family.

In 2005, McBryde recorded an album's worth of songs that she released herself in early 2006. Since she was a teenager, her dream had been to go to Nashville and break into the music business, and in 2007, she finally pulled up stakes and relocated to Music City. She assembled a band and played any club or bar that would have her, and she began making a name for herself. She won the Colgate Country Showdown talent competition in 2009 and 2010, and the same year, she and her band won a statewide "battle of the bands" in Tennessee. In 2011, McBryde released her second album, Elsebound, which once again was issued through her own label. More touring through the South followed, and in addition to headlining her own club dates, McBryde was opening shows for such stars as Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton, Chris Cagle, and Hank Williams, Jr.(The latter came out on-stage while McBryde played his hit "Family Tradition," with Bocephus approvingly putting his arm around her as she sang.)