YOUR FAVORITE CMT SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+

Why Tim McGraw and Blanco Brown Crossed Paths Backstage in Oz

The 1994 Country Ballad That Brought Them Together

Want to know the story behind the unlikely collaboration between Tim McGraw and Blanco "The Git Up" Brown? It goes like this.

McGraw read a story, maybe this one, about how the artist behind this year's infectious country line-dancing song "The Git Up" discovered country music through McGraw's "Don't Take the Girl." It was McGraw's first No. 1 song, and was released in 1994.

“When I heard it I was like, ’Wow, this is a story — this is different from what I’m used to hearing.’ Before that I was hearing Donny Hathaway, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye — I never heard that approach to music," Blanco had said of hearing the song at his aunt's house in rural Georgia. "It changed my perspective and broadened my senses. I could never get away from the storytelling."

When McGraw heard that, and realized that their paths were finally going to cross in Australia, McGraw reached out.

And then this happened:

After McGraw posted their duet, Brown replied with this: "This moment will forever change my life, just the way this song has. Still in disbelief and tears of joy...Thank you for your magic!!!! No words could describe my feelings, I just wanna thank you for making a dream that I never knew could be reality come to my life!!! Wow wow wow."

Latest News