If you ask Alexa to define 'country music turned up to 11', she might just point you to the new star-studded single from Ira Dean and Ronnie Dunn.
Tele-Man, a song about – who’d have guessed it – the Fender Telecaster sees the pair recruit some seismic talents in the form of country greats Vince Gill, John Osborne, and Brent Mason.
The all-star lineup pays homage to the twangin’ country guitar staple and the players that make it sing. That’s why Dean was so eager to bring in some of the genre’s finest talents to bring their fire to the track.
As such, Ira Dean, often seen with an acoustic guitar or a bass on his lap, saw the track as an opportunity to bring his dream of forming a country version of the Traveling Wilburys – a supergroup comprising Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty and more – to fruition.
“The Telecaster isn’t just a guitar – it’s an emblem of country music,” he says. “If I never do another song again, I can hang up my hat on this one.”
“This song is rapid-fire fun with amazing Telecaster players on it – some of the best in town,” Dunn returns.
Hinged on a spinning chord progression, there are sumptuous single-coil solos and lightning-quick vocals everywhere you turn. More still, there’s no ego at play: it feels like every solo is delivered with a smile as each player shows what they feel a Tele does best.
“When I heard Tele-Man with all these guys on it just smoking, I thought, ‘Oh, that’s really cool,’ I was thrilled,” says Nashville’s hottest hired gun Brent Mason. He recently told Guitar World that “session players don’t get the credit they deserve”, but he’ll no doubt get plenty of plaudits here.
John Osborne extends those sentiments, saying he was “already sold on the idea” before discovering the company he’s keeping on the track. “Give me any reason to play guitar, I’m down,” he says. “But the fact that I get to play with my heroes is so awesome.”
Gill, meanwhile, describes the track as “a lot of entertainment with a lot of really talented guys”.
Tele-Man teases Dean's new album, I Got Roads, which is expected in early 2025. Gretchen Wilson will also feature on the record, as will Uncle Kracker and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers drummer, Steve Ferrone.
“If you’re a country music fan who doesn’t put these guys on their Mount Rushmore to record with,” says Dean of the talent that litters Tele-Man. “John Osborne was the last piece of the puzzle. The first time I did a show with Brothers Osborne I heard John and knew right there and then he had to be part of this band in my head.
“From the bottom of my heart I wanna thank Ronnie, Vince, Brent, and John for making this dream come true.”
