Del McCoury Band Announces New Album ‘Almost Proud’ & Shares Single

Del McCoury Band will put out a new studio album, Almost Proud, through the McCoury Music imprint on February 18, 2022. Today, the group led by legendary bluegrass musician Del McCoury released the LP’s lead single, “Running Wild.”

McCoury used the time off the road that came in the wake of the pandemic to immerse himself in listening to music. Del said he heard more than 200 songs before entering the studio to record the 12-track album. “I’m as excited about listening to new music today as the day I started—finding a new tune or a story that tickles me,” the famed musician explained. “This album is the best of what I heard while the world was on pause.”

Almost Proud features a mix of some of those songs Del heard with new tunes such as “Running Wild” and the title track. The 82-year-old and his longtime band — consisting of sons Ronnie McCoury on mandolin and Rob McCoury on banjo as well as bassist Alan Bartram and fiddler Jason Carter — came away with nearly 30 tracks making a second installment a strong possibility. The material “reflects a blue-collar mindset” as per a press release. Collaborators include renowned country musician Vince Gill and pianist Josh Shilling.

While lead single “Running Wild” is brand new, Del began work on the song more than 15 years ago. Del was inspired to finish and record the tune after hearing a portion of a demo that Ronnie unearthed and played for him. Stream “Running Wild” below:

Almost Proud Tracklist

1. Almost Proud
2. Love Don’t Live Here Anymore
3. Rainbow of My Dream
4. My Little Darlin’
5. Running Wild
6. Brown Paper Bag
7. Honky Tonk Nights
8. Once Again
9. Sid Hatfield’s
10. The Misery You’ve Earned
11. Workin’ Man’s Wage
12. Other Shore