NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 1, 2026) — Billy Blue Records and Dalton Harper, member of The Harper Family, release their hard-hitting new single, "Hard, Hard Work," to radio and digitally today.

The track serves as the first taste of Hard Times & Heartaches: From the Pen of Rick Lang, an upcoming bluegrass compilation. Written by Rick Lang and Jack Shannon, "Hard, Hard Work" is a straight-from-the-gut tribute to the blue collar worker — the kind of man who's up before dawn, pouring himself out on the job, and still shows up the next morning to do it all over again. It's a song about busted knuckles, calloused hands, and the quiet dignity of earning your keep. And in Dalton Harper, the song found exactly the singer it deserved.

"Busted knuckles and calloused hands built this country. Thank you to all you blue collar boys that make the world go round! White collar boys? Hope you enjoy your air conditioning and mocha lattes. LOL," says singer Dalton.

"When writing 'Hard, Hard Work' with good friend Jack Shannon, we drew from each other's real life experience," explains Lang. "My dad instilled a strong work ethic into my brothers and me at a very early age. Times were hard when we were young, and we survived by rolling up our sleeves and working hard for every penny we made. We were blue collar through and through. I remember in my late teens working for a local construction company — digging ditches, mixing mortar, lugging bricks and cinder blocks up scaffolding all day long. Some days after work I was so tired I'd go home and fall asleep on the couch in my work clothes, get up, and go back to work early the next morning. Blue collar workers have always been the backbone of our country. This song is a tribute to them."

"The first time I heard Dalton Harper sing, I was immediately drawn to his rich baritone vocal," says Producer and Billy Blue Creative Director Jerry Salley. "And as the son of a paper mill worker, the first time I heard 'Hard, Hard Work' — co-written by my dear friends Rick Lang and Jack Shannon — I related to the lyric. America was built on the backs of the hard-working men and women all across this country. It only seemed natural to combine Dalton's gritty, identifiable voice with this new blue-collar anthem. We hope everyone enjoys Dalton's performance on this ode to the people who do all of the 'Hard, Hard Work' for all of us."

Previous Billy Blue releases featuring Lang's songwriting have been rooted in gospel. Hard Times & Heartaches takes a different turn — an all-bluegrass collection born out of a breakfast conversation between label president Ed Leonard. Lang and Salley, true to form, have assembled a who's who of the bluegrass world with some one-of-a-kind collaborations throughout.

"When I first discovered bluegrass in the mid-1980s, I was drawn to the original songs of first generation artists — Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, among others. They were real life, most based on personal experience. A lot of the themes centered around heartache, lost love, hard times, loneliness, life's struggles. They lived the songs they sang," says Lang.

"Early in my songwriting journey, I often found myself writing about similar themes, drawing from my own life's experience," Lang continues. "Over time I developed a decent catalog of songs centered around these topics, and later started collaborating with other writers to add new material to the collection. It occurred to me they could make for an interesting bluegrass concept album someday. Those songs became the foundation of Hard Times & Heartaches."

"Hard, Hard Work" is available now at radio and all streaming outlets. Look for Hard Times & Heartaches: From the Pen of Rick Lang this fall.

"Hard, Hard Work"
Dalton Harper, lead vocals
Jason Roller, Guitar and Fiddle
Justin Moses, Mandolin and Resonator Guitar
Mark Burchfield, Bass
Matt Menefee, Banjo
Dalton Harper and Jerry Salley, Harmony vocals
Jason Roller, recording engineer 
Chris Latham, mix, and master engineer 

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, Chris Davis Band, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Dave Adkins, Grascals, Jason Barie, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Kristy Cox, Marty Raybon, NewFound Road, 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.