Bob Dylan contributes a rare co-writing credit to Buddy and Julie Miller‘s new song “Don’t Make Her Cry,” which will be found on the married duo’s Sept. 22 album release, In the Throes. The sparse, organ-flecked track was co-written with Regina McCrary, who toured in Dylan’s band from 1978-1985.
“‘Don’t Make Her Cry’ were the words Regina McCrary’s father, Reverend Sam McCrary, said to Bob when they met at a Nashville show in 1978 shortly after she joined his band,” Buddy Miller tells SPIN. “Three decades later, they finally wrote lyrics to the song together in Huntsville, Al. When it came to writing the music, Bob said to Regina, ‘give it to Buddy Miller.’ I then passed it to Julie, who added more lyrics, moved others around, and set it to music.”
In the Throes also includes contributions from Emmylou Harris, Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, and Sixpence None the Richer’s Matt Slocum. It’s only the Millers’ fourth album together in their 40-plus years of marriage and was produced by Buddy, who is well known for his work with Willie Nelson, Robert Plant, Shawn Colvin, and Solomon Burke. Julie Miller is an accomplished songwriter as well, having penned tracks recorded by Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, and the late Levon Helm.
As for Dylan, the “Don’t Make Her Cry” co-write joins a select group of songs he’s previously written with late legends such as George Harrison, Tom Petty, and the Band’s Rick Danko, as well as unlikely collaborators such as Michael Bolton and Gene Simmons.
