Pinecastle Records has released a music video for their current single with Merle Monroe, Goodbye Marie, from their latest album, Songs of a Simple Life.
The video has a Bristol theme, showcasing scenes from State Street, which separates Virginia from Tennessee, The Birthplace of Country Music Museum, and the legendary Burger Bar where Hank Williams stopped for a last meal on the night he died.
Merle Monroe is the brainchild of Tim Raybon and Daniel Grindstaff, both experienced bluegrass veterans, who named the group for their shared appreciation for Bill Monroe and Merle Haggard. They have carried forward a tradition born with The Osborne Brothers of incorporating contemporary country sounds in their bluegrass, and doing so with crisp, professional picking and precise vocal harmony.
For this song, the guys reached back to the late ’70s and a song written by Mel McDaniel and Dennis Linde which has been recorded several times in the country music world.
They say that the site for the shoot was selected to fit the Bristol motif.
“This song, lyrically speaking, is outside the mainstream of all the songs on the project. But again, we go back to the country side of what we do. First recorded by Mel McDaniel, but the guy that had the hit was Bobby Goldsboro. It was also recorded by Kenny Rogers as well. We chose the Burger Bar because of its simplicity. Nothing more unassuming or ‘simple’ than meeting the girl of your dreams a local burger joint.”
Goodbye Marie, and the full Songs of a Simple Life album, are available wherever you stream or download music online. It can be ordered on CD directly from the band.
