Chase Rice Honors His Parents’ Love Story With New Song, ‘Connie Lou,’ Talks Limited-Edition ‘Beer Chords’ Jeans [Exclusive]

Chase Rice first established a partnership with Coors back in August of 2022 when he reached out to the company to get permission to use an old photograph of his late father holding two Coors Banquet beers, as the cover of his I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go to Hell album. Now, nearly four years later, Rice is once again teaming up with Coors Banquet, this time alongside Wrangler, to honor another important figure in his life: his mom.

Rice has been a longtime fan of Coors Banquets, and he’s proudly worn Wranglers on stage plenty over the last 15 years, making this new partnership a “natural fit.” When the opportunity came around, he knew he wanted to do something more than just create a jingle type song with no real meaning.

Over the years, the country singer has written several songs inspired by his father who suddenly passed away in 2008. That album cover holds a lot of memories for Rice and while looking at it one day, he realized that he didn’t have any songs for his mom in his catalog. This new campaign felt like just the right time to change that. And so, the idea for his brand-new track “Connie Lou,” was born.

“When I knew they were working together, we talked about a possible song. I wasn’t sure where that would go…I kind of wrote the chorus in my breakfast room, and then I was writing with Dan Couch and Oscar Charles one day. And I said, ‘I kind of got this idea…if we’re ever going to do a partnership that is involved around a song, I don’t want it to be that jingle thing. I want it to be a great song and I want it to tell a story because that’s kind of what I’ve been doing the last three records is telling stories,” he explained to Country Now.

Plus, when it came to writing his first song about his mom, Rice was firm in the fact that it had to be something good.

“It’s got to respect her, and it’s got to respect the two brands as well. And that was a natural, easy song to write once we finally started going down the road. Dan asked me, ‘what’s her middle name?’ And Connie Lou is her actual middle name. I haven’t called her that in years, but when I played it for her at Red Rocks, that was a really special one…”

Rice assured his mom that this song wasn’t slow and wouldn’t make her cry tears of sadness. Instead, it became almost a sequel to Rice’s “Circa 1943,” a previous release inspired by his grandparents, as he tells the story of how his parents first met at a rodeo in 1978 and fell so in love that they were married by the very next year.

“We figured if we’re going to go down the road of Circa and Harold and Bernice are in the song, that’s all the sequel to ‘Circa 1943.’ This was Circa 1978 and they were married in 1979. So it was a natural fit with the brands.”

The tune, arriving May 29, begins by describing Connie Lou as a “raised right Baptist” who was “a little more wild than her sister Katherine.” Rice reveals that her parents, Harold and Berniece always prayed that she would find a “got it together guy” one day. However, instead of falling for a doctor or lawyer, her heart was stolen by a man wearing “a felt hat and Wranglers” who was “sippin’ Coors Banquets.” Throughout the tune, the true story includes effortless nods to the brands and culture that have shaped Rice’s life and music, further proving that this collaboration couldn’t be more fitting for the singer/songwriter.

“Connie fell for a felt hat and Wranglers/ On that Friday sippin’ Coors Banquets / He was the Cool Hand Luke of western Wyoming/ She was the belle of the dance hall/ She saw a wild young mustang ready to tame/ He saw the one that never got away/ Circa 1978 and the cowgirls sang/ Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na/ They sure sang,” Rice delivers on the chorus.

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The story goes on to chronicle their life together, from getting married, owning a house and welcoming their “first little buckaroo.”

Rice was right when he promised his mother that the song would have a more upbeat, positive tone to it. “Connie Lou” is a feel-good, love-filled anthem that captures the joy of finding the right person and building a life together, wrapped in a timeless country sound full of heart and small-town, southern charm.

“I think it took her back to a really happy place of their relationship,” Rice shared of his mom’s reaction to the song. “And that’s what I wanted to be, especially, like I said, with summer festival season coming up, that’s where we’re really going to hammer this song at our live shows. So it’s going to give us a song that’s celebratory during our set as opposed to something sad.”

The singer goes on to note that he was “really excited” that Coors and Wrangler were both open to him putting together an actual story as a way to represent their brands.

“I wanted to stick true to who I am, but also working with these two American heritage brands was awesome for me because that’s what I wore in high school, that’s what I wore in middle school, that’s what I’ve worn on stage for years and the Beers, Coors banquet’s what I’ve drank because of my dad. So I’m really glad that it all came together and they were excited about the song.”

@chasericemusic

♬ original sound – Chase Rice

This marks the third collaboration between Coors Banquet and Wrangler, further celebrating the shared connection between country music, Western culture and storytelling. In addition to the song, “Connie Lou” also inspired a limited-edition pair of Wrangler’s signature “Beer Chords,” jeans featuring the chords from Rice’s new song printed directly onto the denim using ink infused with Coors Banquet beer, marking a first-of-its-kind design.

“I thought it was pretty perfect because I’ve done a lot of summer festivals over the years. There’s a lot of wranglers in the crowd…So it’s pretty perfect and fitting and there’s a lot of Coors Banquets at summer concerts as well,” he shared. “I think it’s really cool that they did it and you’re wearing the chords and the sound of a song on your jeans to a concert. I don’t think it could be written in the beer that you are drinking, so I don’t think it could be a better combo for summer.”

Alongside the “Beer Chords,” The Coors Banquet x Wrangler Collection will feature 32 unique pieces, including men’s and women’s apparel and co-branded caps. Highlights include the Denim Jersey, Brushpopper Cowboy Cut Work Shirt, Men’s Wrangler 13MWZ Cowboy Cut® Jeans, Women’s Reworked Short and Women’s Printed Vest and Bailey Flare Jeans.

The limited-edition collection will also offer just 250 pairs of the signature “Beer Chords,” released in two separate drops of 125 pairs beginning May 28 and June 4 at 12 p.m. CT at shop.coors.com while supplies last. Meanwhile, Chase Rice’s newest song, “Connie Lou” will arrive tomorrow, on May 29.

This collection marks the latest chapter in the brand’s “Start Your Legacy” campaign, a creative platform inspired by Coors Banquet’s western roots and more than 150-year history. Centered around encouraging people to chase bigger opportunities, the campaign also includes the “Connie Lou” Cover Contest, giving one emerging artist the chance to step into the spotlight and perform the song live onstage with Chase Rice.

In celebration of the collaboration, Chase Rice will debut “Connie Lou” during a surprise pop-up concert in Nashville tonight (May 28) as the brands take over the parking lot of Midtown hotspot Loser’s Most Wanted Bar & Grill for a celebratory block party launch event. Admission is free to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.