Amanda Watkins Releases Duet with Jamey Johnson

See how a song written and performed by the rising solo artist evolved into a duet with the more iconic, 'outlaw' star behind the hit "In Color."

Currently airing on SiriusXM's "The Highway," "If I Was Over You" showcases talented vocalist's first new single since her time in the critically-acclaimed former duo Miss Willie Brown.

“I love Amanda’s voice,” Johnson says. “She and Rivers Rutherford wrote a great song and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

The inspiration from the song came from Watkins’ heartbreak. “I was in my living room and the words and the melody just came to me and I started singing, ‘If I was over you, I would have left town,’” she says. “All of the verses just poured out.

“But I didn’t know where to go with the chorus. I kept working on it and thought that Rivers Rutherford could help me with this. He wrote some of my favorite songs, including ‘Even the Skies Are Blue’ and ‘Heartache’ with Jamey Johnson.”

Rutherford helped her complete the song and she began performing it live. “Jamey was nice enough to take me out on the road for my first solo shows,” she says. Soon, Johnson began joining her onstage to sing the chorus with her, so when it came time to record it, she asked Johnson if he would sing it with her in the studio.

Since both work with producer/engineer T.W. Cargile, Johnson had access to the completed track. “I get a text at 10:30 one night that said, ‘What are you doing?’” she says. “I said, ‘Nothing.’ He said, ‘Why don’t you come on down to the studio. I have something to show you.’

“I come down and T.W. is sitting there. Jamey said, ‘I did some changes. I hope you are OK with them.’ They took the band out of the first two verses, so it is just acoustic guitar. When Jamey came in, I realized he had made it a duet and I started crying.

“I only expected him to sing harmony with me. It took the song from a good song to a great song with a heart factor, in that the song hurt so much more. Of course, his voice does that too.”

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