Trick Pony's Ira Dean Has Always Dreamed of Singing with Ronnie Dunn – and Now He's Done It (Exclusive)

Ronnie Dunn never met a song he couldn’t sing, but his new collaboration with Ira Dean came very close.

“I think we set the Guinness Book of World Records for sung lyrics,” Dunn, 71, tells PEOPLE in a recent Zoom interview with a hearty laugh. “It’s tongue-in-cheek. It really is.”

Dean smiles at Dunn in agreement with the lyric-heavy “Tele-Man,” released late last week. But it’s also a smile that hints at the long-lasting friendship the two artists have shared over the years.

“We toured together years ago, when we were only taking half the city on tour,” Dunn explains with a smile about the early days of Brooks & Dunn. “Ira was a live wire, jumping around the bus and bouncing off the walls with ideas for songs.”

Ronnie Dunn and Ira Dean.

David McClister

And while the two singer-songwriters briefly went their separate ways, songwriting and their shared love of country music and the people within it soon brought them back together.

“I think it was at John Carter’s wedding [back in 2016] that we reconnected,” Dean, 55, tells PEOPLE. “From then on, we started writing and just hit it off like old friends. At the time, being a songwriter, everyone was writing a George Strait hit, but I was writing a Brooks & Dunn hit. I wanted Ronnie. I just wanted to hear him sing a song I was a part of.”

So in many ways, “Tele-Man” is a dream come true for Dean, a founding member of the former country music group Trick Pony.

“My list is complete,” Dean notes of the ambitious song written by Jeffrey Steele and Tony Mullins.

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Certainly, it’s a bucket bursting at the seams at the moment, as artists such as Vince Gill, Brent Mason and Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne also found themselves on “Tele-Man”, which serves as an ode to the old Telecaster guitar and artists who managed to overcome that.

“In Los Angeles they call it really fast, super fast guitar playing shreddingand then here (in Nashville) we call him picking chickens” explains Dunn. “Brent Mason is the best guitarist in Nashville, if not one of the best in the world. And Vince is great. I didn’t know Vince could pick a chicken like that. And John? John kind of reminds me of Danny Gatton.”

The lineup.

David McClister

And while none of this stellar class found themselves recording in the same studio, Dean was the first to hear that everything was together. And to say he was amazed would be an understatement.

“When I first heard it, I got goosebumps,” says Dean, who married wife Jennifer Parisi in February. “It couldn’t have come together better. It was 20 times better than I imagined. When I first heard it, I felt like I had to redo my vocals. I sound like a duck compared to Ronnie. It’s just a humbling experience to have all the guys which I respect and make an album together.

It seems like a feat Dean can hardly believe.

“I’m not going to sell records like Ira Dean, so I have to invite the big horses to this one,” he says with a light laugh. “I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve been in the city for a long time and I’ve done a lot of things. I was a studio musician and a writer, and then I was in a band and then you write more. You just pray that you leave your mark on this city.”

And with this song, Dean feels like he’s really going to make his mark.

“When I invited my heroes to play on this, and they all showed up, I felt like I was left out little thumbprint in this city to come and show support,” he says quietly. “It feels great.”

“It’s all about having fun,” adds Dunn. “You can talk about money and fame and all that all you want, but it’s about having fun.”

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Ronnie Dunn and Ira Dean.

David McClister

So, could the day come when all five musicians will be on stage together performing “Tele-Man” live?

“I hope not,” Dunn admits with a laugh.

“We might all get on stage, but I don’t know if we’ll sing this one,” adds Dean, whose upcoming album I have roads will also include collaborations with Gary Allan, David Lee Murphy, Gretchen Wilson and Uncle Kracker. “There are too many words.”

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Source: HIS Education