This was undoubtedly one of the night’s most anticipated moments.
Of all of the performances lined up for the 2024 CMA Awards, the collaboration between Brooks & Dunn and Jelly Roll was certainly one of the most anticipated moments, and the artists lived up to the hype when they took to the stage. The best-selling duo joined the Antioch, Tenn. native in singing their new rendition of their early hit “Believe,” which appears on their just-released collaboration project, Reboot II.
The original version was released on 2005’s Hillbilly Deluxe record and earned Brooks & Dunn a win for CMA Single and Music Video of the Year in 2006. The newest rendition captures that same powerful storytelling with the addition of Jelly Roll’s rugged and emotive vocals.
The performance opened with Kix Brooks playing a grand piano and Jelly Roll with a mic in his hand as he began delivering the story that follows the journey of someone who befriends his neighbor, an old man named “Old Man Wrigley.”
“Old man Wrigley lived in that white house/ Down the street where I grew up/ Mama used to send me over with things/ We struck a friendship up/ I spent a few long summers/ Out on his old porch swing,” Jelly Roll sang.
Once the chorus struck, the live band of violinists began playing their instruments, creating a stunning melody to back the powerful narrative. Ronnie Dunn then made his way onto the stage, earning a round of applause from the audience, and continued out the faith-filled storyline with Jelly Roll.
“Said, I raise my hands/ Bow my head/I’m findin’ more and more truth/ In the words written in red/ They tell me that there’s more to life/ Then just what I can see…,” they deliver on the chorus.
