Berry recorded the title track and music video for the new movie Beautifully Broken. His song is featured in the ending and during the credits. The song has been added to Spotify’s New Traditions: Country Heroes Playlist. “When I first heard the song, I was so moved. It is an amazing piece of music,” Bery said. “I hope the fans will listen to the message of that song. The film itself is very inspiring.”
As a single, “Beautifully Broken” has been No. 1 on the Christian Music Weekly Chart for two weeks and it sits at No. 37 on the MusicRow Country Charts, breaking a 22-year stretch for charting a single on the radio. “I’ll take it,” he said.
In 2018, Berry celebrated the 25th Anniversary since he signed a major record deal. “That is crazy, isn’t it? Time keeps on slipping,” he said.
On June 16, 2018, the mayor of Athens, Georgia, presented him with an official proclamation as the official “John Berry Day” and gave him the “key to the city” as his anniversary concert at The Foundry, which was where he inked his major record label 25 years ago. “Athens is a special place for us. My wife grew up there, and I lived more than half my life there. I moved there in 1984. I played clubs there for eight or nine years before I got my record deal,” he said. “We went back and did a show at The Foundry. It is such a venue, and we had a great turnout. It was a fun night and a really cool evening.”
This year marks his 22nd consecutive year of performing Christmas shows. “We are trying to kick around some ideas for an album to record in the next month or two, and have it out for Christmas,” he said.
In the dream female duets department, Berry acknowledged that he has been fulfilled by being afforded the privilege to sing with Wynonna Judd (“We Can’t Unmake Love”). “Wynonna sang that with me, and she was so moved that she called Curb Records and held production on her new album when it was getting ready to come out, and she included that song on there,” he said. “The song did see the light of day, but not on one of my albums. It is a wonderful song and there is something about the textures of our voices that blends really amazingly well. Wynonna is awesome. What an amazing talent she is. I think the world of her.”
Berry continued, “I would love to someday work with Reba McEntire. My reasoning for that is because I think so highly of her as a person. She took me out on tour with her for two years, and she has always been so very kind to me. I would jump all over that opportunity.”
Digital transformation of the country music business
On the impact of technology on the country music business (especially with the plethora of streaming services), Berry said, “It is too bad. It has devalued music. It has no value anymore. The quality of the songs is going to diminish. The problem is that the good songwriters can’t make a living anymore,” he said.
To learn about veteran country artist John Berry and “Beautifully Broken,” check out his official website.
