American Songwriter Premiered The Rollicking
Alex Miller/Tracy Byrd Duet
Neo-traditionalist Alex Miller gives the world “The Byrd” with his latest streaming release, the rollicking, toe-tapping ‘90s inspired romp of a duet with hitmaker Tracy Byrd. Available now for pre-save, the epic fast-moving track brings back the energy of the great “Moe & Joe” duets of the past while staying firmly planted in the modern-day soundscape. Alex and Tracy first performed the song live acoustically on the Coffee, Country & Cody show (Circle TV and WSM Radio) in mid-March. American Songwriter premiered the track online yesterday. “The Byrd” will be released to Country radio later this month.
Written by Miller and his producer, friend and hit songwriter Jerry Salley, “The Byrd” (Billy Jam Records), is an homage to Tracy and his long career as it name-checks the star’s numerous hits throughout.
I said start with “I’m From The Country”
And the Drinkin’ Bone’s connected to a little earworm
Do the Watermelon Crawl by the end of the evening
And you can thank me later for giving you the Byrd (Miller/Salley)
“Jerry and I had a blast writing it,” says Miller. “And getting to sing this with Tracy was just incredible. It’s an honor and a whole lotta fun. We’ve gotten to be pretty good buddies since meeting at a Fair convention a few years ago and I wouldn’t trade our friendship for anything.”
For Byrd, the chance to join Alex for this duet was a no-brainer. “I was just awed that he felt I was a big enough influence on him that he would write this song for me. It was very flattering,” Tracy admits. “I thought it was a hit the first time I heard it, and I was so excited I sent it to Blake Shelton to see what he thought. He agreed. It’s got a great groove and a great melody too, which never hurts. I was in from the get-go.”
The two singers are in regular touch and hope to do more projects together in the future. Both agree they’d like to tackle a Country classic and give it new life. “We’ll keep folks posted,” Alex says.
Fans will have the chance to see Alex and Tracy perform “The Byrd” at one show in July.
Alex Miller On Tour
May 16 – Mt Juliet, TN – House Concert Series
May 23 – Decatur, IL – The Devonshire Lakeshore
June 7 – Louisville, KY – WHAS-TV Crusade
June 12 – Marion, VA – The Lincoln Theatre
June 13 – Inman, SC – Music On Mill
June 20 – Tulsa, OK – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
June 25 – Hebron, KY – Boone Co. Fair
June 28 – Frankfort, IN – Prairie Creek Park
July 2 – Denton, NC – Denton Family Farm
July 5 – Leburn, KY – Mine Made Park
July 11 – Knoxville, IA – Marion County Fair (Rodney Atkins)
July 12 – Greenville, KY – Outdoors Downtown Greenville
July 18 – Hodgenville, KY (private)
July 19 – Hodgenville, KY – The Lincoln Jamboree
July 24 – Boston, MA – The Wilbur
July 25 – York, PA – The York State Fair (Alabama)
July 26 – Cottageville, WV – Jackson County Jr Fair
July 29 – Little Valley, NY – Cattaraugus County Fair (Tracy Byrd)
Aug 2 – Columbus, OH – Ohio State Fair (Trace Adkins)
Aug 6 – Pittsfield, PA – Warren County Fair
Aug 8 – Piqua, OH – Lock 9 Park
Aug 9 – Louisville, KY (private)
Aug 13 – Put In Bay, OH – Put In Bay Airport
Aug 16 – Seymour, IN – Jackson Live and Events Center
Sept 6 – Viola, DE – Loblolly Acres
Oct 12 – Rio Grande, OH – Bob Evans Farm
Keep up with Alex via
ABOUT ALEX MILLER
This 21-year-old, 6’ 6” entertainer from rural Lancaster, Kentucky is a natural fan favorite. When Alex hits the stage he owns the spotlight – and the hearts of those in the crowd. He can be a wild man onstage with his high-energy performances – ala early Garth Brooks – or he can bring nuance and deep emotion to a tender ballad. American Idol Season 19 brought him fame and changed his life in 2021. Alex’s well-received debut album for Billy Jam Records, MILLER TIME, released in 2022, generated three high-impact singles (“Don’t Let The Barn Door Hit Ya,” “Through With You,” “I’m Over You, So Get Over Me”). His second release for the label, COUNTRY (2023), brought more hits: “When God Made The South,” “Girl, I Know A Guy,” and the smash single, “Puttin’ Up Hay,” which spent three weeks at #1 on the CDX True Indie Chart and graced the Top 50 on the Mediabase Activator Chart. He’s toured the State and County Fair circuit heavily (KY, MO, NY, WA, WI, IL, IN, OK, WV), and opened for Brooks & Dunn, Hank, Jr, Josh Turner, Lee Brice, Jamey Johnson, Chris Janson, Ian Munsick, Justin Moore, Alabama, Chapel Hart, Drake Milligan, Noah Thompson, Dillon Carmichael, HunterGirl, Emily Ann Roberts, Neal McCoy, and Tracy Byrd. Alex has also made sure to carve out time for his songwriting, and he has collaborated with hitmakers Kent Blazy, Larry Cordle, Belle Frantz, Byron Hill, Carl Jackson, Kirsti Manna, Wood Newton, Emily Ann Roberts, Jerry Salley, Josh Shilling, and Bill Whyte. Closing out a spectacular 2023, he received the American FFA Degree for Excellence, the organization’s highest accolade. Miller’s current five-song EP, MY DADDY’S DAD (Billy Jam Records), produced by Jerry Salley, was released in 2024. The EP’s title track was a hit at Country radio, and its companion music video premiered on Taste Of Country. Alex moved to Nashville last May and made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry in June of ‘24. His current hit single is “She Makes Dirt Look Good.”
ABOUT TRACY BYRD
Tracy Byrd was born in Vidor, Texas and began his singing career as a member of the band Rimfire while in college at Texas State University. After winning a local talent contest, he was signed to MCA Records in Nashville. He became a household name in 1993 when the third single, “Holdin’ Heaven,” from his self-titled debut album for MCA hit #1 on the Billboard Country Charts. That disc, which included a remake of Johnny Paycheck’s “Someone to Give My Love To,” sold over 500,000 copies, earning RIAA GOLD status and cementing Byrd as a true traditional Country troubadour. He built on that momentum and generated hit after hit, album after album. “Lifestyles Of The Not So Rich And Famous,” “The First Step,” “Watermelon Crawl,” and “The Keeper Of The Stars” were all from Byrd’s second platter, NO ORDINARY MAN, a double-platinum offering that is still popular today. His third, fourth and fifth albums for the label were no exception to the Byrd rule, as LOVE LESSON, BIG LOVE and I’M FROM THE COUNTRY offered chart-toppers like “Walking To Jerusalem,” “Heaven In My Woman’s Eyes,” “Big Love,” the mega-hit “Don’t Take Her She’s All I’ve Got,” “I’m From The Country” and “I Wanna Feel That Way Again.” After the release of KEEPERS: GREATEST HITS, MCA agreed to release Tracy from his contractual obligations, and he signed with RCA Records where he went on to record more hits. And then it was on to BNA – where, yes, even more hits followed (“Put Your Hand In Mine,” A Good Way To Get On My Bad Side,” “10 Rounds With Jose Cuervo,” “The Drinkin’ Bone”). After the label released his second “Greatest Hits” album, Byrd chose to go the independent route to have more control over his music. His album DIFFERENT THINGS didn’t enjoy the usual commercial success, but has been hailed as his best album yet, with Billboard magazine naming it one of the Top 10 Country Albums of the Year (2006). In 2016, he released the album, ALL AMERICAN TEXAN. He is still a promoter favorite and regularly performs at Fairs, Festivals and clubs across the U.S. He was – and still is – a phenomenon who had a profound impact on Country music. The magical mix of talent and personality that put him at the top of his game time and time again has made him one of Country music’s most enduring and endearing entertainers. An avid outdoorsman, Tracy enjoys spending time with his family and friends.
Photo Credit: Michael Boggs Photography
ALEX MILLER CONTACTS
Booking:
Stan Barnett / The Booking Shoppe / sbarnett@thebookingshoppe.com
Management:
David Snowden / Snowden Productions, Inc. / dsnowden@triangletalent.com
Publicity:
Martha Moore / so much MOORE media / somuchmooremedia@gmail.com
BILLY JAM RECORDS
Publicity:
Jules Wortman / Wortman Works / jwortman@wortmanworks.com