Even among the pantheon of music’s finest artists, Del McCoury stands alone. From the nascent sound of bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honkytonks, rural schoolhouse stages, and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry to the present-day culture-buzz of viral videos and digital streams, Del is the living link. From headlining sold-out concerts to music festivals of all genres, not to mention one carrying his namesake, there is Del. Where audience members number in the tens of thousands and admirers as diverse as country-rock icon Steve Earle and jam band royalty Phish count as two among them, there is Del. (Del McCoury Band, 2021)

The easy humility of Del McCoury, after more than 6 decades of awards and honors, is remarkable. He sees himself as a working man who chose music as his vocation. So, it is no wonder that the collection of songs that comprise his upcoming album Almost Proud (McCoury Music) reflects a blue-collar mindset—four songs about love lost, one love song that sounds like many others he has cut as a tribute to his wife of 57 years, Jean, two cheatin’ songs, 2 drinkin’ songs, one extolling the virtues of hard work, and one about a working-class hero standing up to big coal in the West Virginia of the early nineteen hundreds. On February 18, McCoury’s latest venture into the recording studio will go live, but right now, Del and the boys of the Del McCoury Band have shared a sneak peek of Almost Proud with the tune “Running Wild,” a song that he started over 15 years ago and decided to finish when his son and band member Ronnie McCoury played him a portion of a demo that had been recorded and forgotten about. Clocking in at barely over two minutes, “Running Wild” is a classic bluegrass burner featuring McCoury’s unmistakable voice enveloped by the singing and picking of his sons Ronnie (mandolin) and Rob (banjo), as well as long time band members Alan Bartram (bass) and Jason Carter (fiddle). Fans can check out “Running Wild” today at this link and pre-order or pre-save Almost Proud ahead of its February 18 release date right here.

Almost Proud is packed with songs from a wide variety of writers—well known and obscure—and includes a few performances from old friends. There are new songs like the aforementioned “Running Wild” and “Almost Proud,” a song written by his good friends Eric Gibson and Mike Barber that was cut just hours after it was written. McCoury tapped into his long friendship with Vince Gill to find the right high country vocal for “Honky Tonk Nights” and chose a little-known song from a recent Kris Kristofferson album called “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” to tell a story of married couples who have become perfect strangers. With “Once Again,” McCoury collaborated again with Josh Shilling, who joined him on piano.

Almost Proud Track list:
Almost Proud
Love Don’t Live Here Anymore
Rainbow of My Dream
My Little Darlin’
Running Wild
Brown Paper Bag
Honky Tonk Nights
Once Again
Sid Hatfield’s
The Misery You’ve Earned
Workin’ Man’s Wage
Other Shore