Brian Mackey Releases New Single 'My Only Friend'

Singer/songwriter Brian Mackey has announced his forthcoming LP, Good Morning Ireland, with the release of a new single, "My Only Friend." During a routine soundcheck before a show at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, a sound emerged from the right side of the stage, a happy ditty from Mackey's friend and guitar lord, Jeff King (Brooks & Dunn, Reba McIntyre).

"I was so happy to have a show that wasn't 2500 miles away from home for once, and I was happy to be playing somewhere with him because he's one of those people that has the natural ability to make you breathless with laughter," Mackey recalls. "Jeff started playing, and we were looking at the line forming outside the front window. I declared, 'It's good to be here again, I hope this feeling never ends, so great that you're around me now.' It was a true statement, and so the song was written."

The track also features Jeff King's wife, Tammy King, a singer/songwriter and fiddler (Steeldrivers, Chris Stapleton), along with his daughter Delana King, who added her beautiful, sweet-and-no-pretense-style harmonies.

"My Only Friend" follows Mackey's powerful single "Saturday Night Sleeping," released in May 2021, Mental Health Awareness month. The song was about his son who lost his life to opioid addiction in 2018. Mackey partnered with The Recording Academy's nonprofit MusiCaresⓇ to donate the proceeds from the single towards treating substance abuse. Both songs appear on Good Morning Ireland, to be released in Spring 2022.

Brian Mackey voices what often goes unsaid with warmth and vulnerability that is reminiscent yet new. He's often been told that he has a sound that combines a healthy balance of folk, pop, rock, and Americana, drawing comparisons to artists like the late Jim Croce. Originally from the northern Florida panhandle, he was raised on a diet of 90s alt-rock and 70s folk music.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Mackey released his single "Keep the World Alive," written and recorded remotely as an anthem for 2020 and how the world as we knew it has changed - simultaneously with the loss of his brother.

Mackey recorded his forthcoming album Good Morning Ireland, his second full-length effort, at Sony Tree Studios in Nashville. A writing project during 2019-20 with his friend Jeff King (Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire) sparked several tracks, including standouts "My Only Friend" and "Saturday Night Sleeping."

In 2018 and 2019, Mackey toured with Kate Voegele and Tyler Hilton on their joint European tour and on Hilton's solo tour, with Howie Day, and American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. The tours supported a collection of singles, "Promise Me," "Don't Own Much," "Underwater," and "Learn To Be," produced in Los Angeles by Jon Levine (Rachel Platten, Andy Grammer). "Learn To Be" charted #1 Most-Added for three weeks in a row, tied with John Mayer on the US FMQB A/C Charts. During this timeframe, he also toured with David Bromberg in the US, with Ron Pope in Europe, and Jon McLaughlin for select dates.

In 2015, he released his first full-length album Broken Heartstrings, a very personal collection of pop-infused American folk-rock, spurred by loss and then renewal, signifying a new beginning for Mackey. He assembled a talented team: producer Sam Ashworth, engineer Richie Biggs (Tom Petty, The Civil Wars), bassist Mark Hill (Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban), and guitarist Jeff King (Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntyre).

Broken Heartstrings yielded his hit single, "Are You Listening," which, after being featured on YouTube by gamer Gronkh about the PlayStation 4 game "Until Dawn," became a runaway hit in Germany. The song peaked at #8 on the A/C Radio Charts in the US, charted top 25 on German iTunes, was on the '100 Most Sold' chart on Amazon Germany, had over 400k streams on Spotify, and resulted in sold-out shows throughout the country. Be sure to follow Brian Mackey at the links below for updates and the latest news.

Listen to the new single here:

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