Award-Winning Bluegrass Guitarist Bob Minner Teams Up with Tim McGraw and Lori McKenna for Keith Whitley Classic “Kentucky Bluebird”
A Favorite McGraw Warm-Up Tune
World Premiere on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction on Release Day February 27th
Available 2/27/26 on Streaming and Download Platforms and on Bob Minner’s WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON Album Later This Year
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 27, 2026) — IMBA Bluegrass Award- winning recording artist Bob Minner is releasing today “Kentucky Bluebird” featuring Grammy ® Award winners Tim McGraw and Lori McKenna.
Minner has a decades-long relationship with the legendary McGraw as one of his touring guitar players. The song, first recorded by Country Music Hall of Famer, Keith Whitley, is known among McGraw’s inner circle as a favorite pre-show warm-up tune.
What began as a ritual behind the curtain has now become a recorded moment, offering an intimate, reverent, and deeply-rooted country classic in a contemporary fashion while not breaking from the song’s natural, emotive approach.
“This is one of those songs that never lets go of you,” Minner shares. “One of the things Tim and I had in common from the beginning was our love and appreciation for Keith Whitley. Tim was more familiar with Keith’s country work, and I, being a bluegrass kid, knew Keith’s work with JD Crowe and his time with Ricky Skaggs when both were playing as teenagers with Ralph Stanley.”
Minner continues, “When it came time to do my album for Billy Blue Records, Tim offered to record one for it. It made sense to do a Keith song, so we agreed on the classic ‘Kentucky Bluebird’ from the 1991 posthumous Keith Whitley record of the same name. Tim delivers it with such honesty and raw emotion, and having the amazing Lori McKenna sing harmony was the cherry on top. Our take on this classic is a full-circle moment for me and a way to pay musical respect to a legend gone way too soon.”
McGraw’s unmistakable vocal presence brings familiar warmth, while McKenna’s harmony and interpretive depth add a layer of quiet gravity, honoring Whitley’s influence without attempting to outshine it. The result is a stripped-down, soul-forward recording that feels more like a front-porch session than a studio cut.
“Keith Whitley was a big influence on me,” shares Tim McGraw. “I moved to Nashville the day he died. Bob has played acoustic guitar for me for 33 years, and we’ve played ‘Kentucky Bluebird’ more times than I can remember before a show. When he asked me to sing it on his record, I was happy to help out. And having Lori McKenna singing harmony makes it even more special.”
GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter, Lori McKenna, adds, “Singing harmonies on ‘Kentucky Bluebird’ with Tim on lead on Bob’s incredible interpretation of this classic is a dream—a ‘pinch-me’ moment. I don’t know how I get to spin in the same orbit as Bob and Tim, but working with them is always a master class. I’m so glad the world gets to hear this record Bob Minner has put together. The talent, care, and experience he brings to everything he does is a true inspiration.”
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member and producer Don Cook proudly notes, “This is now my favorite version of the song I wrote with Wally Wilson for our friend Keith Whitley in 1986. The track is organic acoustic music at its finest. Wish the guitar solo was longer!”
The release stands as both a tribute and a testament to friendship, to the songs artists carry with them night after night, and to the enduring power of country music when it tells the truth simply.
About Bob Minner:
Bob Minner is one of Nashville’s most respected acoustic guitarists, best known for his 33-year tenure touring and recording with Tim McGraw. A bluegrass-rooted musician with deep traditional influences, Minner’s career bridges the worlds of country, bluegrass, and Americana.
Equally at home on the road or in the studio, Minner is known for his tasteful, emotional playing and deep musicality qualities that have made him a trusted collaborator for decades. His work reflects a reverence for song, storytelling, and tradition, placing feel and authenticity above flash.
As a songwriter, he has had success with numerous cuts in bluegrass, most notably winning the prestigious IBMA 2024 Song of the Year for “Fall in Tennessee.”
Minner’s solo recordings showcase a lifetime of experience and musical relationships, capturing the organic, acoustic spirit of the music that shaped him and continues to inspire his work today.
About Tim McGraw:
TIM MCGRAW is a GRAMMY® Award-winning entertainer, author, and actor who has sold more than 106 million records worldwide and dominated the charts with 49 number one singles. He is one of the most played country artists since his debut in 1992, has four New York Times bestselling books to his credit and has acted in such movies as Friday Night Lights and The Blind Side. McGraw recently starred beside Sam Elliott and his wife Faith Hill in the Yellowstone prequel and three-time Emmy nominated 1883. McGraw is considered one of the most successful touring acts in the history of country music.
About Lori McKenna:
From her home base in Boston, Lori McKenna has carved out an enviable niche for herself as one of Nashville's most in-demand songwriters, all while maintaining a prolific and remarkably consistent career as a solo artist. The recent release of her anticipated album,1988, adds to a series of landmark years for McKenna and follows three widely-acclaimed albums: 2016’s The Bird &The Rifle, 2018’s The Tree, and 2020’s The Balladeer, of which the Associated Press praised, “McKenna has by now long established herself as one of the best songwriters working in any genre. And she does it again and again,” while The Tennessean asserted, “one of the sharpest pens in modern country and folk songwriting.”
In addition to her career as a solo artist, McKenna continues to enjoy success as one of the music industry’s most in-demand songwriters. In 2023, she was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Song for co-writing “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault),”performed by Taylor Swift. In 2017, McKenna became the first woman to win the Academy of Country Music’s Songwriter of the Year award and the first woman to win the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year award two years in a row. She also won back-to-back Grammys for Best Country Song: for “Girl Crush,” performed by Little Big Town, in 2016, and “Humble and Kind,” performed by Tim McGraw, in 2017. In 2021, McKenna won her third Best Country Song Grammy for co-writing “Crowded Table,” performed by the Highwomen, with Brandi Carlisle and Natalie Hemby. In addition to writing songs for a multitude of award-winning artists—including Hunter Hayes, Faith Hill, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, and Carrie Underwood—McKenna also co-wrote “Always Remember Us This Way,” which was featured in the Oscar-winning 2018 film A Star Is Born.