NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — We've all heard stories of musicians coming to Nashville, hoping for their big break. As it turns out, some travel from pretty far to get here.
That's the unique story of one country music duo, now sharing their story in new ways. They come from southern Africa, but their music has a southern twang that deserves to be heard on video.
Saturday afternoon, The Franklin Theatre debuted a new documentary as part of the Nashville Film Festival. It was about country music duo Dusty & Stones. The duo was in middle Tennessee for the premiere, more than 8,700 miles away from their home of Eswatini in Southern Africa.
"We talk about our kingdom, people don't even know where that is," smiled 'Dusty' Simelane.
In this visit, they explained, despite growing up far from the city where the music was recorded, there was something so relatable about the music of Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton.
"It's the stories, it's the values," said 'Stones' Msibi. "Those are the values that are universal. It's so unique with country music."
"It's the love that your family has for you, the love of the land where you are actually growing up," added Dusty.
Their film, Dusty & Stones, came about when director Jesse Rudoy came across the duo on YouTube.
"The project started with a question that I had; are there country music singers outside the United States?" said Jesse. "They grew up down a small dirt road. Their grandfather was a preacher they'd go to hear every Sunday. They would herd their family's cattle after school, so you could imagine when they heard My Tennessee Mountain Home by Dolly Parton, these classic country songs, it felt like a soundtrack to their lives. I was like, 'let me make a film that showcases these guys to be the country stars they are.'"
It was an important day for Dusty & Stones, but not only because of the film premiere. They made their debut on a stage they'd dreamed of playing for so many years; the Grand Ole Opry.
"To sing an African story in the Grand Ole Opry, that's something that has never happened before!" Dusty said. "It's beyond what we thought would happen in our lives."
*Editors note: previously, in the process of editing we said the duo was from South Africa, instead of Southern Africa. We have made the correction and appreciate your patience.
