Forbes.com | Pam Windsor
After many years in Nashville, singer, songwriter, and musician Ira Dean has a lot of music heroes he’s able to call friends, and he invited four of him to join him on his fast-moving, electrifying new country single “Tele-Man.”
The all-star line-up includes Ronnie Dunn on vocals, and Vince Gill, Brent Mason, and John Osborne (of Brothers Osborne) on guitar.
Together, they’ve created a tribute to country music’s beloved Telecaster guitar.
“I’ve always dreamed of being in the perfect band, surrounded by guys I’ve respected my whole career,” Dean says. “I mean, if you’re a country music fan, who doesn’t put these guys on their Mount Rushmore?”
For Dean, a longtime songwriter and former member of the group Trick Pony, when it came time to choose someone to join him on vocals, it had to be Ronnie Dunn.
“When I came to town as a songwriter, the big thing back then was to get a George Strait cut, but I was always trying to get a Brooks & Dunn cut. To me, Ronnie Dunn is the best singer of my generation, since Merle Haggard, and I was like, I’ve got to hear that guy sing one of my songs. Ronnie and I have since written songs together, so I asked him to sing on this song and it knocked me out that he said yes.”
Dunn, who credits Dean with being both a gifted songwriter and musician, says he was happy to be part of the project.
“We all talk about being songwriters and performers, but Ira is a player. He’s a player’s player and all of the guys he brought in, Vince Gill, John Osborne, and Brent Mason are amazing. Brent Mason is the best guitar player in Nashville, of our generation. Vince Gill, I had no idea he could play that kind of guitar. It’s a whole different type of playing, that chicken pickin’ thing is what we call it in Nashville. It’s speed playing. And then when John came in, he’s such a talent, too. They’re all virtuosos and they’re all on this one song.
The vocals pose a special kind of challenge, too. They require a rapid-fire, almost hard-to-keep-up with, delivery. And while Dean and Dunn both do an exceptional job, Dunn, jokingly, downplayed his involvement.
“I guess Ira needed a stunt singer,” he says. “I mean he had to come up for air because there are so many words. We broke the record for the number of notes played and words thrown in a song. So, Ira ran out of air on the first verse, asked me to sing the second verse, and I just read as fast as I could.”
Their combined effort makes for a song true country fans will want to hear time and time again.
Both Vince Gill and John Osborne enjoyed playing on the song, and Brent Mason, considered one of the greatest session musicians of all-time, was excited to add to the mix.
“When I heard ‘Tele-Man’ with all those guys on it just smoking, I thought, ‘Oh, that’s really cool,” Mason says. “I’ve worked with Ira and Trick Pony on a few albums, so I know him pretty well. I was very flattered he asked me.”
“Tele-man” is a preview to Dean’s upcoming album I Got Roads, set for release in early 2025. The album features a number of other artist collaborations, with each song covering a unique chapter in Dean’s life.
“The whole album, it’s chapters of my life from my drinkin’ and druggin’ days and rockin’ harder than I should have. I sing about that, I sing about losing my mom, my dad, finding my wife, and getting married to her.”
And this song pays tribute to the music he loves. It’s a full-circle moment, getting to play in the perfect country band he always dreamed of.
“From the bottom of my heart,” Dean says, “I want to thank Ronnie, Vince, Brent, and John for making this dream come true.
Comments