Marty Brown Sings “There’s a Honky Tonk in Heaven”

Singer-songwriter Marty Brown’s song “There’s a Honky Tonk in Heaven” tells a sweet story about missing someone you love.

When you hear the title, “There’s a Honky Tonk in Heaven,” there is no doubt that you are going to hear a country song. Marty Brown’s latest song and video reveal another outstanding country song from the singer-songwriter.

The song starts off recounting a friend who died and was brought back to life. The friend reveals that he saw a honky tonk in heaven. But beyond the ode to country bars, one realizes at the end of the chorus when Brown sings “and she’s there” that it is really a love song.

“There’s a Honky Tonk in Heaven” is a rousing uplifting heart-breaking love song. The video highlights recent inductee into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Marty Brown singing as the snow falls.

While any video with someone in the emergency room having a heart attack immediately reminds me of the hilarious video for “PoP! Goes My Heart” that starts the 2007 movie Music and Lyrics (and has been called “the Greatest Fake 80s Video of All Time”), Brown’s video perfectly captures the meaning of his song. The silhouette of the lovers might even bring a tear to your eye.

But ultimately, aside from the video, it is about the music. I’m a sucker for a good story song, and “There’s a Honky Tonk in Heaven,” written by Brown and Gary Hannan, tells a heart-felt story. And after a few listens you’ll have the catchy music and lyrics going through your head. Check it out.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Opens Exhibit on Marty Brown

    Marty Brown

    A lot of great musicians have come from Kentucky, and one of our favorites is Marty Brown. Chimesfreedom congratulates Brown as the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum opens up an exhibit about him at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, November 13, 2020.

    The unveiling has been delayed for awhile due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the opening will be covered live, including streaming on Marty Brown’s Facebook page.

    As we have covered here, Marty Brown released his first albums in the 1990s before returning to the music stage finding new success many years later. Here is a very young Marty Brown performing one of his first records, “Every Now and Then.”

    What is your favorite Marty Brown recording? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Marty Brown Sings “There’s a Honky Tonk in Heaven”
  • Tune In For a Live Marty Brown Concert Online
  • “Boomtown”: The Debut Album from Maceo
  • New Video from Marty Brown: “It’s a God Thing”
  • Worth the Wait: Marty Brown’s “American Highway” (CD Review)
  • Marty Brown’s New Single From Upcoming Album: “Umbrella Lovers”
  • ( Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Tune In For a Live Marty Brown Concert Online

    One of the many bad side-effects of the current pandemic is its impact on performing artists. As many artists have tried to adjust to the streaming music era by earning a living doing live shows, now the coronavirus has taken away their main way to reach fans. So, many artists, like Marty Brown, have turned to reaching their fans online.

    Country music singer-songwriter Marty Brown is using the platform StageIt.com to give a show to his fans on Saturday, April 25, 2020 at 9 pm EST (8 pm CT; 6pm PDT). For much less than a regular concert ($5), you get direct access to a live show. The platform also allows fans to interact through real-time written comments.

    Marty Brown has been writing great songs and making great music for decades. His live shows feature a range of music from a likable engaging performer. Hopefully, he’ll play “Whatever Makes You Smile,” one of his first releases after his successful run on the television show America’s Got Talent that began with an amazing audition singing Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” And fans may get some great songs like “Mona Lisa Smiles” from his most recent outstanding album, American Highway (2019). Brown is also known for “I’m From the Country,” a song he wrote that was a hit for Tracy Byrd.

    We hope he also will dig into his back catalog from the 1990s, which includes songs like “Every Now and Then,” “Wild Kentucky Skies” and “The Day the Bootlegger Died.”

    Whatever he plays, it is bound to be a great show, taking advantage of technology to reach fans in these troubled times. So head over to StageIt for your Marty Brown tickets — and to check out and support other artists with online shows!

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “Boomtown”: The Debut Album from Maceo

    Maceo

    Many years ago, we noted that country singer Marty Brown had apparently shared his wonderful musical talents with his children. So we are delighted to hear that his son Marty Brown Jr. is finally releasing his first album with his band Maceo, entitled Boomtown. And it was worth the wait.

    Old Legends

    The younger Brown has been performing music, honing his musical chops, and writing songs with his father for years. And the band Maceo, with an outstanding group of musicians, finds some of its influences in Southern Rock and Outlaw Country. Some of the tracks on the album may remind one of Shooter Jennings, another son of a country legend.

    The album rocks but it also features intelligent lyrics steeped in county traditions. In a nod to the past, on the song “Old Legends,” Brown proclaims, “Old legends never die, they just keep on living on.”

    Boomtown

    Yet, even with the album’s connections to the past, Maceo brings a young person’s perspective, guitars, and wisdom that makes everything new again. It’s honest young country that should find a place in today’s country music world. In the title track from the album, “Boomtown,” Brown takes a look at his “one-horse town” that “ain’t no Boomtown.” But he still finds a lot to love there.

    For those of us who grew up in a small town, we hear a realistic reflection of a non-idealized life that is still loved. So the singer’s repeated assertion that “this ain’t no Boomtown,” backed by a tight electric band with a solid beat, ends up as more of a boast than a lament.

    Another highlight of the album is “Lessons in Lonely,” a catchy country weeper that sounds like an instant classic. Not surprisingly, the beautiful song was co-written by Marty Brown Jr.’s father Marty Brown, along with Charles Victor.

    The band Maceo is named after Brown’s hometown of Maceo, Kentucky. And the group features Marty Brown Jr. (Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar), Collin Sagely (Percussion), Brian Haunhorst (Rythym Guitar, Backing Vocals), and Chris Dillard (Bass).

    Boomtown is an uplifting album, perfect for blasting on your car stereo while driving country roads. Or just sitting in a lonely room with headphones and letting Brown and his bandmates take you on a fun ride. It’s all good.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    New Video from Marty Brown: “It’s a God Thing”

    Marty Brown, who earlier this year released the album American Highway, has released a new song called “It’s a God Thing” and a video to go with it. As for now, Brown plans for this video to be his final official music video.

    Brown, who has made around twenty music videos during his career, explains that he is not retiring from music. He is still writing and performing.  But he feels so strongly about “It’s a God Thing” and its video that he would like it to be his final video.  As he explains on Facebook, he “just wants to go out on top with his new song.”  He also reports that he has worked harder on this video than he has for any other video.

    The song is a beautiful statement of faith. So it is easy to see how it has significant meaning for Brown, who chose to do a video for this new song instead of for one of the other songs on his recent outstanding album American Highway.

    Brown co-wrote “It’s a God Thing” with Keith Stegall and Brian Maher. The video, which also features Brown’s wife Shellie Brown and a photo of his mother, was filmed around Franklin, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky, and Owensboro, Kentucky.

    We are glad that Brown is not retiring from recording music, but we also hope that at some point he reconsiders making more videos. For now, though, check out “It’s a God Thing.”

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Marty Brown Sings “There’s a Honky Tonk in Heaven”
  • Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Opens Exhibit on Marty Brown
  • Tune In For a Live Marty Brown Concert Online
  • “Boomtown”: The Debut Album from Maceo
  • Worth the Wait: Marty Brown’s “American Highway” (CD Review)
  • Marty Brown’s New Single From Upcoming Album: “Umbrella Lovers”