KENDELL MARVEL’S “DON’T TELL ME HOW TO DRINK” FEATURING CHRIS STAPLETON DEBUTS TODAY

NEW ALBUM COME ON SUNSHINE OUT SEPTEMBER 23

FALL TOUR DATES CONFIRMED

August 26, 2022—Acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician Kendell Marvel’s new song, “Don’t Tell Me How To Drink,” featuring longtime friend and collaborator Chris Stapleton, is debuting today. Watch the official music video, which was directed by Jace Kartye and shot in one take at Nashville dive bar Fran’s East Side, HERE.

Of the song, Marvel reflects, “I wrote ‘Don’t Tell Me How To Drink’ with my old songwriting buddy Chris Stapleton a couple years ago. Me and Beau Bedford tracked this song, and I sent it to Stapleton asking if he would be interested in playing guitar and singin’ on it. It’s a damn thrill for me to have him on this Honky Tonkin’, Rock n Rollin’, Hell Raiser. Younger folks might be better at some things, but don’t mess with the old dogs when it comes to stuff like drinkin’!”

Written by Marvel and Stapleton, “Don’t Tell Me How To Drink” is the latest song unveiled from Marvel’s anticipated new album, Come On Sunshine, which will be released September 23 via CmdShft (pre-order here). Produced by Beau Bedford (Paul Cauthen, Leah Blevins), executive produced by Marvel and recorded at Dallas’ Modern Electric Sound Recorders, Come On Sunshine explores the wide range of Marvel’s influences, both musically and through his choice of collaborators. To create these ten tracks, which delve into some of life’s most honest and authentic experiences, Marvel was joined by several renowned writers and musicians including Stapleton (vocals, electric guitar, songwriter), Dean Alexander (songwriter, background vocals), Al Anderson (songwriter), Dan Auerbach (songwriter), Nick Bockrath (electric guitar), Kolby Cooper (songwriter), Dan Dyer (background vocals), Devon Gilfillian (songwriter, background vocals), Josh Morningstar (songwriter), Waylon Payne (songwriter), Mickey Raphael (harmonica) and Dee White (songwriter). Ahead of the release, Marvel has recently unveiled two additional album tracks: “Put It In The Plate” and “Hell Bent On Hard Times.”

Reflecting on the album, Marvel shares, “I’m 51 years old, which means I’m long past the point of catering to anybody. I’m just telling the stories I want to tell,” and continues, “I like to work with people who are different than me. Working with Beau Bedford in Dallas meant that I was playing with guys I’d never met before. Guys who had different ideas, different tones, and different ways of playing than my friends back home. We recorded the album live, finishing the whole thing in four days. That’s how you capture magic. The same thing can be said for the people I write with. I prefer left-field people—people who come from different backgrounds and different genres. Devon Gilfillian comes from the R&B world; he hears different melodies than I do. Waylon is a gay man, so he has some experiences that are different than mine. I love to surround myself with people like that, and sit in the writing room with someone who isn’t just like me. Because that’s how you capture magic, too.”

In celebration of the new music, Marvel will perform throughout this summer with upcoming shows at Dove Valley’s Seven Peaks Festival, Pryor’s Born & Raised, Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry and more. See below for complete tour itinerary.

Photo credit: Laura E. Partain

Born and raised in Southern Illinois, Marvel is one of Nashville’s most respected songwriters with cuts by Chris Stapleton (including the GRAMMY Award-winning “Either Way”), Brothers Osborne (GRAMMY Award-winning “Younger Me”), George Strait, Jamey Johnson, Gary Allen, Jake Owen, Lee Ann Womack, Blake Shelton and more.

Come On Sunshine is Marvel’s third studio album following 2019’s Solid Gold Sounds, produced by Dan Auerbach and David Ferguson. Released to widespread acclaim, Rolling Stone declared, “a clear descendant of the Waylon Jennings and Charlie Rich albums loved by Marvel, and one that is able to stand on its own in the splintered present moment of mainstream pop-country projects and progressive songwriter albums,” while American Songwriter declared, “with the somewhat cheekily titled Solid Gold Sounds, Kendell Marvel shifts from supporting player to front-man with ease” and The Tennessean proclaimed, “a 10-track toast to time-tested honky-tonk storytelling that goes down with smooth sincerity.”