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Gary Patterson is releasing new music.

No, really. And we are going to have to line dance to it.

Melissa Triebwasser

Gary Patterson took time earlier this week to Zoom with members of the media, and I assure you it was everything you imagine it to be.

Whether he was firing off one liners to reporters that love to get under his skin or threatening to make us all go line dancing, it was great to see GP up to his old tricks once again — even if it was virtual.

But of all the tidbits to come out of the hour long call, the one that made the most waves was a reveal of what the Horned Frogs’ football coach has been doing in his downtime — recording an album.

Patterson, who is known to strum the guitar and says he was the lead singer in his childhood band — before “30 years of yelling on the sideline turned me from an alto to a Bob Seger raspy type” — is working with a to-be-named recording artist to put out an album in the near future. “I used to write music when I was younger,” Patterson said during Tuesday’s Zoom call. “I actually sent somebody some of my music, and somebody’s going to record it.”

Though GP has reiterated that his schedule hasn’t slowed down all that much as he prepares for the possibility of fall ball, he did allude to the fact that slowing down has been good for him, and some of his newly written songs reflect that. On the Golic & Wingo Show on ESPN Radio Friday morning, he talked about writing music that reflects how he has felt over the last few weeks and that showcase the perspective he has gained in quarantine. “Everybody has a hobby,” he told Mike Golic and Jason Fitz. “I decided to do the music thing.” Fitz, who is an award-winning fiddle player and a former member of successful country band The Band Perry, chimed in often during the interview, and GP assured him that Fitz “was on speed dial” when it came to any fiddle roles on the album.

When asked why now and why music Tuesday, Patterson said “I’ve always wanted to be able to do it. They’ve already been in the studio, they’ve already put it on tracks, and we’re going forward. That’s something that I never thought I’d get to do because I always stayed so busy.”

And in his thoughts, at least, he’s got his post-coaching career in the bag. “You might be really surprised when we get done with this. The guy that helped [rewrite] it, he put it in the modern age. If it hits No. 1, I’m gonna make all you guys all go out to some country place, and you’re all going to have to dance to it.”

Guess it’s time to dust off the boots and work on the flexibility. Billy Bob’s is going to be packed with sports writers trying to boot-scoot when this is all over.