From the vault.
Today, Riley Green released a new song called “Ol’ Stray Dog” as part of Apple Music’s new Lost & Found series, which focuses on showcasing unreleased country tracks from some of Music City’s best songwriters. This is the first song from the second season, and last year, there were some great ones that got uncovered, but my easy favorite is Ernest’s “Would If I Could.” If you haven’t checked that one out yet, you’re missing out…
And Riley’s new song is another incredible find. It was originally written by two of Nashville’s best songwriters in Erik Dylan and Jon Randall, and they penned it back in 2019. Dylan, who is a frequent collaborator of Riley’s and has co-written his songs like “There Was This Girl,” “If It Wasn’t For Trucks,” and “Damn Good Day to Leave,” says it was the perfect song for Riley:
“Riley’s the guy on this. He’s for sure the guy, he sounds like he wrote it, he sounds like he’s lived it.”
Randall adds:
“I absolutely love that Riley liked this song enough to try it on. I may be partial because I’m a fan, but I think it fits him like a glove. I sure am thankful that it landed in his world. I guess sometimes an old stray dog can find a home.”
Riley says “Ol’ Stray Dog” was right up his alley and the perfect fit for this new season of Lost & Found:
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Erik. He knows my style of music, and ‘Ol’ Stray Dog’ was certainly one of those that was right up my alley. Lost & Found has given us another motivation to go find songs.”
The song tells the story of a struggling musician living life on the road just trying to make it, something I think Riley and many others can certainly relate to:
“Just an ol’ stray dog
Back out on the road again,
Ain’t got a prayer, ain’t got a friend
And it’s been so long
I spent half my life just running
and the other half getting home”
It really is the perfect song for Riley, and along with the acoustic production and simple delivery, I’m so glad we’re finally getting to hear this one and Riley’s giving it the spotlight it deserves. It really is wild how many great songs get pushed to the side, or end up on the cutting room floor for whatever reason during the process of making an album, so I have really enjoyed this Apple Music series and it sounds like we’re in for another great batch of songs with season two.
You can listen to the preview of “Ol’ Stray Dog” below, and of course, if you have Apple Music, the entire song is available for streaming there.
The original demo is pretty cool too:
Dylan recorded it for his 2023 album, Stray Dogs & Homegrown Calamities, but honestly, Erik Dylan’s catalog might be one of the most slept on in country music. With a handful of albums since 2016 including Heart Of A Flatland Boy, Baseball on the Moon, and more, Erik is prolific songwriter, compelling storyteller, and all around good dude. Dig into his music and I promise you, you’ll wonder where he’s been hiding all this time.
“Fishing Alone” is a great place to start:
Riley is gearing up for another big tour run in 2026 as he will hit the road for his extensive Cowboy As Is Gets Tour.
Cowboy As It Gets 2026 Tour Dates:
April 16th, 2026 – Southaven, MS – Landers Center#~$
April 17th, 2026 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center#~$ *ON SALE 10/3
April 18th, 2026 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena#~$
May 7th, 2026 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion#~•
May 8th, 2026 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre#~•
June 18th, 2026 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center#~•
June 19th, 2026 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center#~•
June 20th, 2026 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater#~•
June 25th, 2026 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center#$*
June 26th, 2026 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake#$*
July 16th, 2026 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center#~•
July 23rd, 2026 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre#~•
August 6th, 2026 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater#/•
August 7th, 2026 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center#/•
August 8th, 2026 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live#/•
August 13th, 2026 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion#/•
August 14th, 2026 – Hartford, CT – The XFINITY Theatre#/•
August 15th, 2026 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheatre#/•
August 21st, 2026 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford#$*^
August 22nd, 2026 – Grand Forks, ND – Ralph Engelstad Arena#$*^
#Justin Moore
~Drake White
$Mackenzie Carpenter
•Hannah McFarland
*Adam Hood
/Zach John King
