The Dryes are a married, musical couple from North Carolina. I first heard of Katelyn and Derek Drye when they were featured in the Duke Spirits Masters Music Series. However, their biggest claim to fame was when they shared their extraordinary chemistry while performing on NBC’s The Voice. Their cover of Kenny and Dolly’s “Islands in the Stream” garnered them a spot on Blake’s team in 2022.

Katelyn and Derek met in 2008 when they both finished high school. “One of my best friends at the time was dating his best friend,” Katelyn recalled. They told her about Derek, but he was dating someone else.

They told her, “Don’t worry, it won’t last.” A couple of months later, Derek reached out to Katelyn on Facebook and the rest is history. They have been together for 15 years and married for 11 years.

Although both were artists and in bands while they were in high school, when the pair initially got together, they didn’t talk about music. One day Derek brought a guitar over and they sang a song together. It worked well, and the duo have been singing together ever since. They started performing in their hometown before eventually moving to Nashville.

The Dryes had been scouted by casting producers of The Voice years earlier and initially turned it down. But by last year, the duo was ready, and they proved that they were a force to be reckoned with performances like “Red Dirt Road” and their electrifying version of “Chasing After You” which planted the pair firmly on the county music road map.

I saw The Dryes at the Duke Spirts Master Music Series launch party. Their song, “House On Fire” was featured in the series alongside artists like Wynonna Judd, Paul McDonald, Runaway June, and Craig Campbell to name a few.

When I was asked to promote their newest release, “Sawdust,” I was familiar with the pair.  

The track succeeds the release of their Mother’s Day Tribute “Mama’s Do,” which premiered in an exclusive interview with People Magazine. The song acknowledges the power of a praying mother.

Now the pair are riding the wave of their debut performances at CMA Fest and Carolina Country Music Fest and have announced their lead single “Sawdust” off their forthcoming EP Raisin’ Beers & Hallelujahs (Due fall 2023). The song was inspired by all the dive bars that they’ve been to around the world. The tune is a greasy Texas two-step mixed with a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll.

When I heard “Sawdust” for the first time, I was hooked. I knew the boot-scootin’ boogie was a new line dance in the making. In fact, the two-step has been introduced on TikTok and with the official line dance video to be released on August 4th.

“We wrote ‘Sawdust’ with Michael Farren and our late friend, Kyle Jacobs,” shared The Dryes. “This song is a reminder to us and for our fans to never lose sight of joy, to get out there and dance. Be yourself and cause your own kind of scene wherever you go.”

They met Kyle via their team at Curb Records and have written several songs with him. Kyle brought the title and told them, “’Sawdust' is going to be a hit.” And while the songwriter will be missed, his spirit will live on via the many songs he helped compose.

With “Sawdust” being the debut single from their forthcoming EP, I can’t wait to see what else the promising new duo has to offer.

The Dryes have been recognized by People, Country Now, and Rolling Stone. Their ultra-powerful song, “War”, has gone on to amass over 7 million+ global streams alone, while their sassy and powerful single, “Dolly Would” and their sultry “House on Fire”, both peaked at #1 on CMT’s 12 Pack Countdown.

With Derek providing the steady, strong backbone alongside Katelyn’s sexy, soulful sound, this pair is exactly what county music needs right now. Thankfully, honky tonk tunes appear to be making a comeback and The Dryes will be leading the charge.   

Katelyn and Derek have been providing support for Jo Dee Messina and will be on tour all over the USA including some Christmas shows in Franklin, Tennessee. Be sure to follow The Dryes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and all streaming platforms.

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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and Twitter.