Red River Blue

Album: Red River Blue (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This Ray Stephenson and Buddy Owens penned breakup lament finds Blake Shelton pairing up with his wife (at the time) and fellow country singer Miranda Lambert. Despite the interest in the duet between the newly wedded couple, Shelton admitted it was unlikely to get radio airplay due to the red tape involved when a song features artists from different labels - Shelton was with Warner Music Nashville, while Lambert was signed to Sony Music Nashville.

    "That's one of the things that drive me and Miranda crazy about Nashville," said Shelton. "The fact that it's so hard to collaborate with people. Look at other genres, and that's almost all they do! It seems like they know what they're doing, as far as selling a lot of music. So it's frustrating.

    It's a thousand wonders that it worked out with 'Hillbilly Bone,' because looking back, Trace [Adkins] probably knew he was leaving his label and then everything worked out where it could be a single," he continued. "Otherwise, that probably would have never happened, and I can't imagine where my career would be without that song."
  • Shelton earned his very first Platinum album when Red River Blue was certified in early 2013 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of one million copies.

Comments: 1

  • EmilygoodenoughTexoma sky.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A Timeline

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A TimelineSong Writing

Untangling the events that led to the "Stairway To Heaven" lawsuit.

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.