"Building Bridges" is a song written and originally recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer-songwriter Larry Willoughby, co-written with

Hank DeVito Henry M. "Hank" DeVito is an American musician and photographer known primarily for his pedal steel guitar work and songwriting. Biography After high school, DeVito attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He studied graphic arts and ...

. Willoughby's version peaked at #55 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart in 1984.

Chart performance

Nicolette Larson version

A year later,

Nicolette Larson Nicolette Larson (July 17, 1952 – December 16, 1997) was an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her work in the late 1970s with Neil Young and her 1978 hit single of Young's " Lotta Love", which hit No. 1 on the Hot Adult Cont ...

- the ex-wife of Hank DeVito - recorded the song on her album '' ...Say When''. Her version went to #72 on the same chart.

Chart performance

Brooks & Dunn/Sheryl Crow/Vince Gill version

"Building Bridges" was covered by country music duo Brooks & Dunn and released as the third single released from their 2005 album '' Hillbilly Deluxe''. It features

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three ...

and

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...

on background vocals. The song peaked at number four on the country music charts and was nominated for the

Country Music Association Award for Musical Event of the Year The Country Music Association Awards is a major awards show in country music. Originally presented in 1988 as the Vocal Event of the Year Award, the Musical Event of the Year honor received its current name in 2004. The award recognizes a collabo ...

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price of ''Billboard'' described the single favorably, saying that Dunn's "lead vocal is as compelling as always." She also thought that Gill's and Crow's voices made the song "distinctive".

Music video

The music video takes place in the desert with the band and the duo singing in front of big screens at dusk. The music video was directed by Shaun Silva.

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Other versions

The song was sung by Steve Sanders as a member of The Mighty Oaks Band (the stage band for

The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet originating in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in Southern gospel during the 1950s. Their name was chang ...

) as a band feature from 1982-1986. The Mighty Oaks Band also recorded the song, but the recording was never commercially released. Their rendition can be heard on various live concert radio broadcasts from that time period.

References

{{authority control 1984 songs 1984 singles 1985 singles 2006 singles Larry Willoughby songs Nicolette Larson songs Brooks & Dunn songs Sheryl Crow songs Vince Gill songs Vocal collaborations Music videos directed by Shaun Silva Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer) Atlantic Records singles MCA Records singles Arista Nashville singles Songs written by Larry Willoughby Song recordings produced by Emory Gordy Jr. Songs written by Hank DeVito