Want to know the story behind the unlikely collaboration between Tim McGraw and Blanco “The Git Up” Brown? It goes like this.
McGraw read a story, maybe this one, about how the artist behind this year’s infectious country line-dancing song “The Git Up” discovered country music through McGraw’s “Don’t Take the Girl.” It was McGraw’s first No. 1 song, and was released in 1994.
“When I heard it I was like, ’Wow, this is a story — this is different from what I’m used to hearing.’ Before that I was hearing Donny Hathaway, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye — I never heard that approach to music,” Blanco had said of hearing the song at his aunt’s house in rural Georgia. “It changed my perspective and broadened my senses. I could never get away from the storytelling.”
When McGraw heard that, and realized that their paths were finally going to cross in Australia, McGraw reached out.
And then this happened:
After McGraw posted their duet, Browwn replied with this: “This moment will forever change my life, just the way this song has. Still in disbelief and tears of joy…Thank you for your magic!!!! No words could describe my feelings, I just wanna thank you for making a dream that I never knew could be reality come to my life!!! Wow wow wow.”