Brad Paisley Joins Riley Green For ‘I Wish Grandpas Never Died’ Duet

Riley Green is catching the attention of fans far and wide with the release of his emotional new single, “I…

By

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

August 12, 2019

at

12:07 pm

Share on:

Riley Green is catching the attention of fans far and wide with the release of his emotional new single, “I Wish Grandpas Never Died.” One person who can’t seem to get enough of the heartwrenching tune is Brad Paisley.

After sharing a cover of “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” on Instagram earlier this month, the superstar joined Green on stage in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Sunday (Aug. 11) to perform the song he calls a “monster hit.”

“I’m just in awe… I love your new song and I thought I’d like to play it with you,” Paisley told Green prior to their impromptu duet.

Green, who cites Paisley as one of his music heroes, tried to downplay the compliment, telling the crowd, “This is a nobody from Alabama playing a song I wrote about my two granddaddies with an idol of mine, Mr. Brad Paisley.”

The pair then joined forces on the song, with Green taking the lead and Paisley on guitar and harmonies.

“I Wish Grandpas Never Died” was written by Green with posthumous writing credits given to his two grandfathers, Lendon Bonds and Buford Green. The song finds the Alabama native confessing his various wishes about life.

“I wish even cars had truck beds / Every road was named Copperhead/ And coolers never run out of cold Bud Light / I wish high school home teams never lost / And backroad-drinking kids never got caught / I wish the price of gas was low and cotton was high / I wish honky-tonks didn’t have no closing time / And I wish grandpas never died,” he sings in the chorus.

“I Wish Grandpas Never Died” will be included on Green’s debut album, Different ‘Round Here, which is slated for a September 20 release.

The rising star recently sat down with Country Now to chat about his rise to fame, his rapidly growing fan base and much more. Check out The Profile with Riley Green HERE.

Share on:

Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.