ACM’s Guitar Player Of The Year Rob McNelley Steps Out Of Session Room & Takes Spotlight On New Single ‘Right Back To You’

Riffing away behind household names like Bob Seger, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Combs, and many others stands strikingly skillful session guitarist Rob McNelley, crafting the modern country sound one chart-topper at a time. And now, he’s bringing his name to the limelight with a genre-bending release of his own in the heartbreak anthem and new single, “Right Back to You.”

Coming in with a hot jukebox groove, “Right Back to You” is a riff-driven Americana pop-rock banger from the jump, as it tells the tale of a disloyal woman betraying her partner and the irony of her karmic consequences to follow. McNelley’s play on words intricately compliment the song’s themes over vengefully rich guitar plucks and solos that awaken redeeming emotion in listeners with or without a personal education in love troubles.

A potential sequel that follows this story’s range of emotions called “Circus is Leaving Town” is due to follow the new track, and is set to hit streaming services August 2nd, 2024.

Absolutely no stranger to crafting up infectious solos, McNelley’s session work has led him to understand the ins and outs of making smash hits. Recognizing his exceptional dexterity, The Academy of Country Music recently granted McNelley his fourth Guitar Player of the Year award on June 17th, 2024, at the 59th annual ceremony. 

Despite his constant support in shaping the sound for the big leagues, McNelley’s session ace title wasn’t the initial goal. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, the Nashville-based, musician-raised guitarist has always been an aspiring singer-songwriter whose sharp ear and technical skill swept him into the session player world after his work with Delbert McClinton. The return of his dad’s 1955 Telecaster, which his dad used in his southern-rock Columbus-based band through the 1980s, sent him to achieve his first Number One hit, after Paul Worley, the Tele’s second owner, returned the guitar to McNelley and began bringing him on to work with Lady A. 

A country music industry staple, McNelley co-produced all of his new tracks with either multi-instrumentalist Russ Pahl (Carrie Underwood, Robert Plant) or Grammy Award-winning producer Justin Francis (Orville Peck, Little Big Town). A lifetime of music will take anyone though a world of destinations, and it seems Rob McNelley has seen both sides of the music-making coin with even more change to come. 

Featured photo by Craig Young