Why Ashley McBryde Felt Now Was The Right Time To Release “Rattlesnake Preacher,” Which Was Co-Written By The Late Randall Clay

After years of the song being a staple in her shows, Ashley McBryde finally laid down a studio version of “Rattlesnake Preacher,” and there’s a reason why she did it.

The great Ashley McBryde joined the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast to talk about coming to Nashville and grinding as a young artist before getting a record deal at 30 years old, growing up in Arkansas with a father who was a doctor and a preacher, how Eric Church played a roll in her success, concept albums, getting sober, her new music and when fans might expect a new album and much more.

She also talked to us about her latest release, which is non other than her fan-favorite “Rattlesnake Preacher.” It was a bit of a surprise when McBryde dropped the song, as many thought it would forever exist in her live performances and in low-quality videos on YouTube. But the country music star felt like the time was right to bring the song – which was written by the late songwriter Randall Clay – to life with a studio recording.

Clay passed away back in 2018, and McBryde felt moved to honor him by releasing an official version of the song. However, she knew she had to capture it the right way, and she and John Osborne (of Brothers Osborne) were finally able to crack that code:

“I’ve been playing ‘Rattlesnake Preacher’ since I met Randall Clay at The Rusty Nail. It was in my bar show before I was able to play full band shows. And I think putting that out now is the right thing to do. We captured it the right way with John Osborne, and I think Randall would be really proud of it. I stuck ‘Jesus Loves Me’ at the end of it. I think he would have been down with that.

I just recently heard from a cousin of his, through a friend that said, ‘We thought he was just running his mouth all these years. He would come home and tell us these stories about all of his songwriter friends and all of this cool stuff and we just thought he was full of it.’ That cousin came to one of my shows and said, ‘Oh my God, he was telling the truth.'”

There’s no doubt that Randall Clay played a huge role in helping Ashley McBryde – and many other artists – shape some of their biggest hits.

Clay was a longtime co-writer of McBryde, and she’d be the first to tell you that he was a generational talent when it came to songwriting. Now that it’s been over half a decade since he passed on, the country music star has a flattering, cut-the-tension saying about Randall that showcases how great of a songwriter he was:

“We’re talking ‘Tired of Being Happy,’ ‘American Scandal,’ ‘El Dorado.’ And I joke now to try to keep things light-hearted where I say, ‘The guy is such a gifted songwriter, he’s been gone for four or five years and he still gets cuts on my records.'”

As to why Ashley McBryde thought that now was the right time to release the track after years of “Rattlesnake Preacher” not being recorded in a studio, she says that it mainly comes from a place where she wants to help keep the spirit of her longtime friend alive:

“I think he needs to be represented. We’ve got to keep those songs running around. When I first heard ‘Rattlesnake Preacher,’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to punch something.’ And ‘Water in the River’ is the same way, and that’s a Randall Clay write.”

For the record, both “Rattlesnake Preacher” and “Water in the River” are absolute bangers. Shoutout to Ashley McBryde for honoring her friend, and RIP to the late, great Randall Clay.

If you want to hear more from Ashley McBryde, make sure to download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here.

We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts.

Cheers, y’all.

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