NASHVILLE, TN (March 25, 2025) – Acclaimed musician and songwriter Bob Minner releases his latest single, “Listening to the Rain,” featuring Rhonda Vincent and John Meador. The track, premiering exclusively on Bluegrass Today, offers fans a fresh interpretation of the Don DeVaney-penned classic made famous by the Osborne Brothers. 

Reflecting on the inspiration behind the single, Minner shared, “My dad was an Osborne Brothers’ fan, and I remember their records being in the house when I was young. I had always heard 'Listening to the Rain' in my head as a slowed-down ballad due to the nature of the lyric, and I finally have a chance to give it that treatment. It’s an honor to bring my reimagined version of this timeless bluegrass song to the world featuring two of the greatest voices in today’s bluegrass genre, Rhonda Vincent and John Meador.”

“Bob is not only a master musician. He is also a brilliant producer and arranger. When he first showed me his arrangement on this Osborne Brothers classic, I knew it was going to be something very special. His choice of pairing the voices of the legendary Rhonda Vincent and the incredible tenor of newcomer John Meador, has created a beautiful duet that is destined to become a classic itself. It is simply a stunning recording of a timeless song,” states Jerry Salley, Creative Director, Billy Blue Records. 

Ronnie Reno, who played on the original Osborne Brothers recording, shared his thoughts on this new rendition, stating, “I played on the original recording of ‘Listening to the Rain’ with Bobby and Sonny in 1970. I love the new approach to this song, and it's wonderfully done. The vocals are outstanding. Bob’s production is outstanding. It's in the pocket and it's in time with your heart. I know Bobby and Sonny would be very proud of this recording.”

Minner’s “Listening to the Rain”  follows the success of his award-winning song “Fall In Tennessee,” which earned nominations for Song of the Year, Collaborative Recording of the Year, and Music Video of the Year, ultimately winning the International Bluegrass Music Association's (IBMA) Song of the Year award in 2024.

With this new release, Minner continues to solidify his reputation as one of Nashville’s most respected instrumentalists.

Song credits:
Bob Minner-Acoustic Guitar / Producer
Alan Bartram: Bass
Jesse Brock: Mandolin
Aaron Till: Fiddles
Engineer: Justin Kropf
Songwriter: Don DeVaney
Mix and master: Chris Latham
Sure Fire Music Company Inc./BMI

ABOUT BOB MINNER
Growing up on old-time string band music and bluegrass in Missouri, near St. Louis, Bob Minner’s lifelong love affair with music began at the tender age of 2 when he first strummed his plastic guitar. Since then, his musical journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, spanning across the United States, Canada, Australia, Italy, and beyond. His musical passion has played a serendipitous role in bringing Bob and his wife Ginger together, shaping not only their personal life but also providing a foundation for raising a family. After traveling with their own band for a while, the Minner’s settled in Nashville as Bob’s filled the role of acoustic guitarist for country icon Tim McGraw, a position he has held for an impressive 31 years and counting. 
 
Beyond being a skilled instrumentalist, Minner is a prolific songwriter with credits and cuts by TIm McGraw and by revered bluegrass bands like Authentic Unlimited, Blue Highway, Volume Five, Dailey & Vincent, Ronnie Bowman, Jim Lauderdale & the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Shannon Slaughter, Blue Moon Rising, and others. He received both IBMA and SPBGMA  Song of the Year award in 2024 for “Fall in Tennessee” and has many other nominations to his credit. While constantly crafting new solo guitar compositions, Minner released the album There and Back and Back Again in 2011, Six String Sanctuary in 2019, SOLO in 2021, and, most recently, Five From Frankie and From Sulphur Springs to Rising Fawn in 2022, to critical acclaim. 

Website: https://minnerguitar.com/home

Socials: 
https://www.facebook.com/bobminnerguitar
https://www.instagram.com/bobminner
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYpnXHKsufjRLApjAEYKI5Q 

 
ABOUT BILLY BLUE RECORDS
Billy Blue Records is a boutique bluegrass label, home to an award-winning roster of artists including Adam McIntosh, Alan Bibey and Grasstowne, Appalachian Road Show, Authentic Unlimited, Bob Minner, Caroline Owens, Carson Peters & Iron Mountain, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Dave Adkins, Jason Barie, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Kristy Cox, Marty Raybon, the multi-artist projects Blue Collar Gospel, Country Faith Bluegrass, and the Grammy-nominated recording Gonna Sing Gonna Shout. Founded in 2018 by Jerry Salley, Ed Leonard, and Dottie Leonard Miller, Billy Blue is distributed to retail by the Orchard (Sony) and New Day Distribution.

NASHVILLE, TN (Oct 11, 2024) – With a prolific career spanning decades, Bob Minner, an expert banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and resonator guitar player, has released his latest spirited bluegrass tune, “Ruby Jean.” The track, co-written with his wife, Virginia Minner, whom he fondly refers to as his “partner-in-rhyme” features the dynamic talents of Jesse Smathers and Zach Arnold. Dedicating 32 years, and counting, as the acoustic guitarist for Tim McGraw, and previously releasing four solo albums, Minner has earned his reputation as one of the most respected musicians and songwriters within the industry. As co-writer of the recent Authentic Unlimited hit, “Fall In Tennessee,” Minner, along with co-writer John Meador, won the IBMA Song of the Year at this year's IBMA Awards. As he uniquely blends bluegrass, country and folk, throughout his body of work, “Ruby Jean,” captures that unique blend of styles, infusing infectious melodies and heartfelt storytelling.

The idea for his latest track sparked over two years ago when Bob found himself repeatedly humming the melody. Soon after, Minner and his wife sitting on their front porch, quickly turned the melody into a full song encapsulating the classic tale of a good ole country boy trying to win his “country queen” back. The song, enduring the test of time, was an obvious choice as Minner began to select tracks for his upcoming Billy Blue Records album release set to debut early 2025. 

“Writing ‘Ruby Jean’ with my wife and partner-in-rhyme, Virginia Minner, was our tip of the hat to those time-honored bluegrass songs where the man is begging his love to take him back and come home,” Bob Minner said. “It’s a fun, uptempo song that I asked my pal Jesse Smathers to sing on. Zach Arnold really compliments with his harmony work as well. We hope folks enjoy it as much as we did writing it, and we appreciate everyone’s support,” he continued. 

Fans can expect more of this authentic, front-porch style of songwriting on the upcoming collection of original bluegrass tunes. You can follow along for the latest news at minnerguitar.com or on social media. 

Song credits:
Executive Producer: Dottie Leonard Miller & Ed Leonard
Writers: Bob Minner & Virginia Minner
Producer: Bob Minner
Vocal: Jesse Smathers
BGV: Zach Arnold
Guitar & Banjo: Bob Minner
Mandolin: Jesse Brock
Fiddle: Aaron Till
Bass: Alan Bartram
Engineer: Justin Kropf 
Mix / mastering: Chris Latham

ISRC: US3U82400553

ABOUT BOB MINNER
Growing up in old-time string band music as well as bluegrass in Missouri, near St. Louis, Bob Minner’s lifelong love affair with music began at the tender age of 2 ½ when he first strummed his plastic guitar. Since then, his journey with music has been nothing short of extraordinary, spanning across the United States, Canada, Australia, Italy, and beyond. His musical passion has played a serendipitous role in bringing Bob and his wife Ginger together, shaping not only their personal life but also providing a foundation for raising a family. After traveling with their own band for a while, the Minner’s settled in Nashville which became the backdrop for Bob’s role as acoustic guitarist for country icon Tim McGraw, a position held for an impressive 32 years and counting.

Beyond being a skilled instrumentalist, Minner is a prolific songwriter with credits and cuts by revered bluegrass bands like Authentic Unlimited, Blue Highway, Tim McGraw, Volume Five, Dailey & Vincent, Ronnie Bowman, Jim Lauderdale & The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Shannon Slaughter, Blue Moon Rising, and others. He has received nominations such as IBMA Collaboration Of The Year in 2012 and SPBGMA Song Of The Year in 2024. While constantly crafting new solo guitar compositions, Minner released the album There and Back and Back Again in 2011, Six String Sanctuary in 2019, SOLO in 2021, and, most recently, Five From Frankie and From Sulphur Springs to Rising Fawn in 2022 to critical acclaim. 

Website: https://minnerguitar.com/home

Socials: 
https://www.facebook.com/bobminnerguitar
https://www.instagram.com/bobminner
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYpnXHKsufjRLApjAEYKI5Q 

 
ABOUT BILLY BLUE RECORDS
Billy Blue Records is a boutique bluegrass label and home to an award-winning roster of artists including Adam McIntosh, Alan Bibey & Grasstowne, Appalachian Road Show, Authentic Unlimited, Bob Minner, Caroline Owens, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Dave Adkins, Donna Ulisse, Jason Barie, Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers, Kristy Cox & Grasstime, Marty Raybon & Full Circle, The Tennessee Bluegrass Band, Carson Peters & Iron Mountain, and critically-acclaimed concept recordings like the Grammy®-nominated “Gonna Sing Gonna Shout” and 2021’s star-studded “Country Faith Bluegrass.” Founded in 2018 by Jerry Salley, Ed Leonard, and Dottie Leonard Miller, Billy Blue is distributed to retail by the Orchard (Sony) and New Day Distribution.