FIRST LISTEN: Grayson Jenkins Teams Up With Pony Bradshaw On New Single “Good Times Go”

Grayson Jenkins’ brand new single won’t hit streaming platforms until Friday, but we’ve teamed up with the talented Kentucky songwriter to provide our readers with an exclusive early look at the music video. And trust me, you don’t want to wait to listen to this one.

Titled “Good Times Go,” Jenkins’ new single was written in 2019 during a stint living in rural Ravenna, KY. A once bustling railroad town that lost most of its population and industry as times changed and technology surged throughout the 20th century, Ravenna has largely been reduced to mere remnants of its former self. But while honing his songwriting craft in the city, Jenkins couldn’t help but find himself imagining how differently life must have looked in the town’s prime.

Inspired by these thoughts, and knowing that Ravenna was just one of hundreds, if not thousands of towns across America that have experienced a similar fate, Jenkins penned “Good Times Go” as a nostalgia-evoking tune that reminisces on the glory of yesteryear while providing a sliver of hope that industry and prosperity could ultimately return to these seemingly forgotten localities.

And as if his reflective songwriting and smooth vocals weren’t enough, Jenkins enlisted the help of his friend, collaborator, and frequent touring partner Pony Bradshaw to feature on the track, providing vocals on the second verse and playing electric guitar on the recording.

Recorded at Fellowship Hall Sound in Little Rock, AR with an A-List of Tulsa-based musicians who have collaborated with the likes of Parker Millsap, John Moreland, and JR Carroll, to name a few, there’s no shortage of talent involved in Jenkin’s new single. And considering it’s being released nearly six years following its inception, Jenkin’s was kind enough to provide some insight as to how this one came together.

“I stumbled across the demo for this song while putting together options for an upcoming studio session. I’m glad I did, because it really suits the current mindset I’m in writing-wise. I often find myself writing as a narrator for my own life, and others, which I feel helps me get closer to finding the truth that I’m looking for.

I made one change to the original lyrics just before recording by adding a line referencing Larry McMurtry’s ‘The Last Picture Show,’ which I’d just finished a few weeks prior. I love that this song was just waiting in the wings for its moment and now gets to go out in the world.”

So, without further ado, go ahead and check out the music video for Grayson Jenkins’ forthcoming single “Good Times Go” featuring Pony Bradshaw.

While the song was chiefly inspired by Ravenna, KY, the “Good Times Go” music video was actually filmed in Cairo, IL, another once industrious community turned ghost town with which Jenkins was familiar.

“I grew up in western Kentucky hearing about Cairo and had always wanted to go. It sits in an area that’s kind of a geographical oddity at the lower tip of Illinois where the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers meet. You can see Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri from the town. It’s a strange place, with a rocky history, and just not a place a lot of people pass through.”

“Good Times Go” marks the lead single for Jenkins’ next record that he plans to release this summer, and in addition to being featured on this track, Bradshaw has his fingerprints all over the record as a co-producer on the project. With all of this in mind, and based on this brand new song, it sure seems as if Jenkins’ fourth record is poised to be his best work yet.

In case you aren’t familiar with Grayson Jenkins’ prior work, the Muhlenburg County, KY native aptly follows in the footsteps of John Prine and all of the other folk and country troubadours before him who forged there career on the strength of clever lyricism and truthfully authentic storytelling.

Touring heavily throughout the country over the years, and particularly in the Appalachian region he calls home, Jenkins has made a name for himself as a hardworking musician whose catalog serves as proof of his already impressive, yet ever-improving craft.

If you like what you’ve heard with “Good Times Go,” keep an eye out for its official release on Friday, January 31. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and dive into Jenkins’ catalog.

Here are a couple of my favorites to get you started.

“Taxes and Time”

“Cowboy Dream”