10 Years On Josh Abbott & Kacey Musgraves Find Gold w/ “Oh, Tonight”

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You may have forgotten about it. After all, it was 10 years ago. But one of the first big breaks for Kacey Musgraves, and one of the biggest songs early on for the Texas-based Josh Abbott Band was “Oh, Tonight” from the band’s February 2010 album She Likes Texas. The song was also released as a proper single in 2011. This release was significant for multiple reasons. And now it has struck gold.

The confluence here was Texas. Josh Abbott Band was just blowing up in the regional Texas scene, and Kacey had moved to Austin from her hometown of Golden. Before she would sign with Mercury Nashville in 2012, Musgraves would work with the small label Triple Pop, and released a couple of acoustic covers that got the attention of some. But it was this appearance with the Josh Abbott Band that got her on the radar for many in the country music world.

With prominent mandolin and fiddle, “Oh, Tonight” tells the story of two lovers who are initially coy towards each other, but slowly succumb to their desires. But the video for the song which has received well over 7 million views itself sketches a somewhat different and more racy story. Fellow Texas artist Granger Smith along with his now wife Amber Bartlett play the significant others of Kacey Musgraves and Josh Abbott respectively, and as the foursome sit around writing a song, Granger and Amber steal a scandalous kiss in another room.

Granger and his wife Amber actually met on the set for another music video— one for Granger Smith’s “Don’t Listen to the Radio.”

“Oh, Tonight” became a big regional hit in Texas, and it also set off a blip on the national stage, becoming Josh Abbott Band’s first song to officially chart on the Hot Country Songs chart at #44.

“Oh, Tonight” really helped propel both Kacey Musgraves to a major label status, and also helped send the Josh Abbot Band to the top of the heap in Texas country. The band’s next record in 2012 called Small Town Family Dream would debut at #5 on the Billboard Country Albums chart upon release.

Now “Oh, Tonight” is the latest song from the independent world to be Certified Gold. The RIAA confirmed over 500,000 in sales and equivalent streams for “Oh, Tonight” on April 15th. This puts The Josh Abbott Band in rare company with Whiskey Myers, Cody Jinks, and Tyler Childers as independent artists with precious metal. Certainly the participation of Kacey Musgraves helped, but at the time, the helping hand was the one extended by The Josh Abbott Band to an up-and-coming Texas artist looking to get her name out there.

What comes around, goes around, and it’s cool to see folks continue to seek this song out.

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