After crossing the border with their country rock sound, James Barker Band now team up with Dierks Bentley for a tribute to freedom with four wheels on “New Old Trucks.”
A nostalgic track with a heavy-duty groove dedicated to a country boy’s constant companion, it’s a bittersweet reminder that you can’t fake character, and memories don’t come with a sticker price.
Written by Barker, Jordan Minton, Hunter Phelps and Casey Brown, “New Old Trucks” is all about the bond that forms between a good truck and its owner — something like the way horses and their riders were connected in the old days. Of course, truck-loving tunes are everywhere in country music, but this custom-built collab is more personal than the rest.
“We were so surprised no one had written this song yet,” says JBB frontman James Barker. “When we got in the room to write a few months ago, two of us actually came separately with this exact idea so we knew we had something good. When writing songs you always want every lyric to be true but sometimes you have to stretch things a bit. That wasn’t the case with this — every lyric was something one of us had experienced; the first line is actually about my first truck.”
Meanwhile, “New Old Trucks” also came out as the perfect vehicle for a duet with Bentley, who has been a longtime supporter of the Canadian-bred band. The track captures the love Bentley has for his real-life old truck — the ’94 Chevy he’s sung about throughout his career, affectionally dubbed Big White.
“I’ve tried to write a few songs over the years that reflect how I feel about my ‘94 Chevy truck, and why I’ve never gotten a new one,” Bentley says. “After hearing this song however, I knew I’d never try to write one again … this song says it all. I’m honored that the James Barker Band invited me to be a part of it. It hits home with me big time.”
Now breaking out in the lower 48, James Barker Band got started in their native Canada, where they formed in the small towns surrounding Toronto. They recently notched their third No. 1 single in Canada, “Over All Over Again,” and scored a 2021 CCMA Awards nomination for Interactive Artist of the Year. They are now based in Nashville, with more to come.