The Man in Black would be proud.
As the new generation of tomorrow’s country stars continue to be discovered seemingly by the minute on social media, there have been quite a few names that have broken through in a big way over the past year. In particular, youth seems to be one of the biggest factors at play with artists such as Ty Myers, Hudson Westbrook, Elizabeth Nichols, Waylon Wyatt and Vincent Mason all breaking out in their late teens and early 20s.
With that being said, however, two of the hottest stars flying out today’s new generation of social media stars are undoubtedly Sam Barber and Avery Anna. While both artists have respectively put up monster numbers to start their careers on their own, mainly Barber catching fire with his 2023 single, “Straight and Narrow,” as well as his monster debut album, Restless Mind, and Anna winning New Female Artist of the Year at the ACM Awards back in May, when the pair team up, it’s been nothing short of gold.
Of course, this is best displayed on their smash hit from 2024, “Indigo,” which not only received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) but also scored the duo their first-ever placement on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #40. Additionally, it’s been nothing short of a giant both on streaming and TikTok, garnering over 425 million streams on Spotify alone and being used in a staggering 1.7 million unique posts on the social media platform.
They’d end up double-dipping collaboration-wise on Barber’s debut album, Restless Mind, the same year, with Anna hopping on the title track as well. Though the song didn’t quite catch fire the way “Indigo” did, it was still another highly successful outing for the young power duo, being one of their most-streamed, with over 120 million on Spotify.
In case that wasn’t enough, they’d team up for a third time earlier in the year when they dropped “Fear In God,” which was yet another home run for that pair that sees the two reflecting on their faith and battling temptation.
At this point, the young stars have become one of the most prolific duos in the genre today — up there with the likes of Riley Green and Ella Langley — and fans simply cannot get enough of them whenever they get together. This was put on full display once again when Anna took to Instagram today to upload a video of the pair covering one of the most iconic songs in country music history, Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.”
Obviously, when you cover a song as beloved as “Folsom Prison Blues,” you’re immediately fighting an uphill battle, given the amount of history ingrained into the song itself and its status as an American classic. With that being said, however, it’s clear that fans are absolutely loving it.
Though there’s some stiff competition, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Anna, in particular, is one of the best vocalists in the genre today, and she puts it on full display, delivering a hauntingly beautiful rendition of the first verse. Barber then follows it up with a rock-solid performance of the second verse, showcasing his gritty vocals as well.
Unsurprisingly, fans of the two rising stars are going absolutely crazy in the comments, calling the cover glorious, begging the pair to release a full duet album, and even comparing them to Johnny and June.
“Close enough welcome back Johnny and June Carter”
“Can we please just get a duet album from you two already?”
“I need this cover on all platforms immediately”
“It’s the USA’s Prom King and Queen”
“yeah this is amazing”
“Chills”
“absolutely G L O R I O U S”
“The chemistry is insane”
“THEY ARE SO BACK OMG”
“PLEASE for the sake of our sanity… release a duet album”
While I wouldn’t go as far as comparing them to Johnny and June (that just sounds like sacrilege), there’s absolutely no denying that the chemistry between Barber and Anna is simply off the charts on each and every performance.
With that being said, I’d definitely second the duet album part. At this point, the world deserves one.
Sam Barber Tour Dates
August 6—Cleveland, OH—Jacobs Pavilion
August 7—Detroit, MI—Masonic Temple Theatre
September 11—Minneapolis, MN—The Armory
September 12—Chicago, IL—The Salt Shed Outdoors
September 15—Buffalo, NY—Outer Harbor Live at Terminal B
September 18—New York, NY—The Rooftop at Pier 17
September 19—Boston, MA—Leader Bank Pavilion
September 22—Pittsburgh, PA—Stage AE Outdoors
September 24—Charlottesville, VA—Ting Pavilion
September 25—Knoxville, TN—Knoxville Civic Coliseum
September 26—Atlanta, GA—Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
December 3—St. Louis, MO—Chaifetz Arena
December 4—Independence, MO—Cable Dahmer Arena
December 10—Albuquerque, NM—Revel
