Acclaimed Kentucky country singer-songwriter Grayson Jenkins has unveiled his latest single, “Good Times Go,” featuring the buzzing country and Americana act Pony Bradshaw. The reflective and brooding track, accompanied by a hauntingly evocative music video, explores the fleeting nature of success and failure through the lens of small-town life in rural America.
“This song was written back in the ‘before times’ of 2019 during a year-long stay in the rural town of Ravenna, KY that allowed me time to explore my own writing and an area that was relatively new to me. The lyrical imagery describes the former glory of the railroad in Ravenna and the local economy around it. Like so many towns, Ravenna lost a good deal of its identity as times and technology changed. I liked to sit around and imagine what the town was like in its heyday—the buildings, the people, the sounds, all of it. There’s a grain of hope in the story that better days will return. Success and failure are both certainties in life, and I think it’s important to shed light on both.”
Jenkins rediscovered the demo while compiling songs for an upcoming studio session, realizing that its themes aligned with his current writing mindset. A single lyrical change just before recording added a nod to Larry McMurtry’s The Last Picture Show:
“Good times come and the good times go,
Credits roll The Last Picture Show,
You’ve gotta dig dirt before you ever find gold.”
“Good Times Go” features Jenkins’ friend, co-producer, and touring mate, Pony Bradshaw. After sharing the stage for two shows in Kentucky in 2022, Bradshaw invited Jenkins to join him on tour across the U.S. in 2023 and 2024, playing over 50 shows together. Their shared admiration for songwriting and country music naturally led to Bradshaw co-producing this track and Jenkins’ next studio album, set for release in summer 2025.
“Pony was gracious enough to take me all over the country for some great shows, gigs that he could’ve given to a lot of worthy artists with larger followings than I have. I’m really thankful for his support and the time I got to spend on the road with him and his band, and to have a first-hand look at his rise in the Country/Americana scene over the past couple years. He’s one of the most naturally talented vocalists I’ve spent time around, and his songwriting chops are well known, so it was a treat to have him featured on and co-producing a song that I wrote.”
While the song was inspired by Ravenna, KY, the accompanying music video was shot in Cairo, IL (pronounced Kay-Roh), a once-thriving Midwestern industrial hub that now stands as a near-abandoned ghost town.
“I grew up in western Kentucky hearing about Cairo and had always wanted to go. It sits in an area that’s kind of a geographical oddity at the lower tip of Illinois where the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers meet. You can see Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri from the town. It’s a strange place, with a rocky history, and just not a place a lot of people pass through. We spent a couple of days there, staying at an old-school BnB and exploring the town’s mostly abandoned historic buildings.”
Recorded at Fellowship Hall Sound in Little Rock, AR, “Good Times Go (feat. Pony Bradshaw)” features a lineup of seasoned studio musicians, including Paddy Ryan (Parker Millsap, John Fullbright), Jesse Aycock (JR Carroll, John Moreland), and Aaron Boehler (Wilderado). The track’s sonic elements capture its introspective and atmospheric nature, blending meditative electric guitar rhythms with Jenkins' warm, expressive vocals and Bradshaw’s signature tone.
The single sets the stage for Jenkins’ forthcoming full-length album, due in 2025, produced by Bradshaw and featuring an impressive roster of artists, including Brit Taylor, Fats Kaplin (John Prine, Jack White), and Pat McLaughlin (Bahamas, John Prine).
A Brooding Reflection on Success and Failure Through the Lens of Rural America
WATCH THE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaQT-DjsNcQ
LISTEN TO THE SONG: https://graysonjenkins.komi.io
Born and raised in Muhlenberg County, KY—immortalized in John Prine’s Paradise—Grayson Jenkins grew up on a small goat and horse farm in the heart of coal country. A natural storyteller and songwriter, Jenkins draws inspiration from everyday encounters, world travels, and the rich storytelling traditions of his Kentucky roots. His songs offer a mix of hopeful resignation, raw honesty, and sharp insight into the human experience.
After more than a decade in Lexington, KY, where he earned agricultural degrees from the University of Kentucky and worked at the university, Jenkins has spent the last few years touring extensively across the U.S., UK, and Canada. Though he’s unsure where to call home, his purpose remains clear: to write songs and bring them to audiences across the world.
Like fellow Kentuckians Sturgill Simpson and Keith Whitley, Jenkins has built his career independently, releasing four albums and gaining recognition from American Songwriter, The Bluegrass Situation, and major festivals like Railbird Music Festival and Master Musicians Festival. His songs have earned him the admiration of artists like Pony Bradshaw, Vincent Neil Emerson, and Nicholas Jamerson, all of whom have taken him on the road in recent years.
With a relentless drive and a gift for crafting songs that resonate with truth-seekers and wanderers alike, Jenkins is solidifying his place in modern country and Americana music.
