LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky native JD Shelburne stopped by WDRB Mornings Friday to talk about his new album where he teams up with the Oak Ridge Boys.
Shelburne said he spent most of last year recording the "Neon Hallelujah" album. He said it contains "14 songs and is probably the biggest record I've put out -- I've never had a record contain that much music."
The album is set to drop on July 28, and Shelburne plans a free concert in his hometown of Taylorsville, Ky., on July 29, where fans can be among the first to buy the new album.
"This is my sixth record," Shelburne said, adding that "a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into the music, writing songs and getting people like the Oak Ridge Boys to back it -- Randy Travis gave me a quote. I've been in Nashville a long time to build these relationships."
Shelburne is especially excited about this album because he was able to team up with the Oak Ridge Boys.
"The Oak Ridge Boys was a last minute plus," Shelburne said. "I'm so grateful for their support. They came into the studio and they were troopers. And just to have their name on my record means the world."
Shelburne said he first met the group when he was invited to a Christmas show in Gaylord. "And they gave me a shout-out during the show in front of like 3,000 people," Shelburne recalled. "And I'm like 'wow, they didn't have to do that.'"
About a month later Shelburne said he decided he'd invite them to collaborate on a song with him. He found out they accepted when he saw a message on social media saying "next month we're going to record with Travis Tritt and J.D. Shelburne. I about fell out of my chair. It was a big moment for me as an artist, trying to get to the top."
Shelburne said his music career started in the early 2000s when he began playing guitar in Taylorsville. He said he made his first-ever TV appearance on WDRB a few years later, and has been working hard ever since. But he has never forgotten his Kentucky roots.
"I always told myself when I left town that I would always come back home and celebrate with a free show every year, not matter what," Shelburne said.
He will make good on that promise again this year. The "Live on the Street" free concert is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. with special guests Buddy Jewell, Chad Brock and Jimmy Wayne.
"It's a free show, right in the center of Main Street -- bring your chairs, bring your family."
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