Ashby Frank offers good advice – Make Your Mama Proud

Mountain Home Music has introduced their latest single for bluegrass singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist Ashby Frank, which we are pleased to premiere today.

This one comes from what Frank calls two of his favorite songwriters, Phillip White and Tony Haselden, one called Make Your Mama Proud. It has a modern, acoustic country vibe, with cool key changes, offering a positive message as well as excellent advice.

Ashby says that this latest single gives him warm fuzzies.

“When I went in to record this with some of my best friends, with whom I’ve spent so many days on the road and on stage, I wanted to make sure it had a modern acoustic groove, but also maintained a down home sort of feel. I’m really proud of what we were able to come up with. This song carries a warm but powerful message that I know will resonate with so many people.”

Those friends include Deanie Richardson on fiddle, Scott Vestal on banjo, Seth Taylor on guitar, and Travis Anderson on bass. Ashby plays mandolin and sings lead, with Tina Adair providing harmony vocals. Josh Hunt adds percussion.

As an accomplished songwriter himself, Frank tells us that he knew this was a winner when he heard it some years ago.

“It was written by Tony Haselden (of the band LeRoux) who’s written hit songs for people like Keith Whitley, George Strait, and Shania Twain, and Phillip White who’s had a lot of hits as a songwriter (Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Blake Shelton and many others.)

I found it on a recording by an awesome rootsy country/rock band out of Charleston, SC who have some bluegrass ties, The Blue Dogs. I’ve been wanting to record it for a long time.

I got to hang out with Bobby Houck from the Blue Dogs for the first time in well over a decade when I was playing with the Earls in Charleston in late 2019, and it kinda jogged my memory of the song.”

Have a listen…

Ashby also shared the genesis of the single’s curious cover art.

“The single artwork is a recreation of a refrigerator door with ‘magnets’ and pictures from my childhood of me with my mom (Lynn Frank), sister (Jennie Lee Frank-Gambill), and my grandmothers (Nancy Temple and Pat Frank).”

Make Your Mama Proud releases tomorrow (10/7), when it will be available from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers can get the track now via AirPlay Direct.

Make Your Mama Proud - Ashby Frank

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2004 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.