Sometimes the best country music moments do not happen under bright lights. They happen in a quiet green room in South Carolina, when two artists are simply killing time before a show and reach for their guitars.
That is where Travis Tritt, a legend from the Class of ’89, ended up in a “just for fun” picking session with CMA New Artist of the Year 2025, Zach Top. No big stage. No script. Just two country guys trading stories, swapping instruments, and seeing what happens.
They locked in on “Lonesome Reuben,” a bluegrass instrumental made famous by Earl Scruggs. Tritt played Zach’s guitar. Zach played Tritt’s. In seconds, the room turned into a high speed, old school picking circle that felt straight out of another era.
Fans went crazy over the little details. The missing doorknob behind them. The “go beast mode” comments. People saying, “The world of country music needs more of this.”
Travis Tritt – Jamming with Zach Top [Live]
What happened in that small backstage room makes even more sense when you see where Zach Top is in his career right now. Just days before that green room picking session, he officially became New Artist of the Year at the 2025 CMA Awards. The recap of his win shows why a country legend like Travis Tritt would happily trade licks with him. You see the industry reactions, the humble way he talks, and quick flashes of that throwback 90s sound that made everyone pay attention in the first place.
CMA Awards 2025 NEW ARTIST Recap — Zach Top, Ella Langley & Stephen Wilson Jr Full Highlights
On the CMA Fest stage, he takes “I Never Lie” from a great song to a full on statement. The same bluegrass fire you heard with Travis Tritt is now wrapped in steel guitar, fiddle, and that smooth, throwback voice that earned him New Artist of the Year. It is proof that the kid trading licks in a green room can own one of the biggest stages in country music.