T. Graham Brown Joins Voices with Randy Houser on Otis Redding Classic '(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay' (Exclusive)

The song is off Brown's upcoming album, 'From Memphis to Muscle Shoals,' out Aug. 2

In many ways, T. Graham Brown finds himself at the pinnacle of his 40+ year career. And as far as he is concerned, there is just one person to thank.

"None of this would've happened if it weren't for [my wife] Sheila and her love for me," Brown, 69, tells PEOPLE mere days after his much-awaited induction into the Grand Ole Opry. "There was a period of my life that I was way down. I was almost ready to die. I mean, I was in bad shape. And she hung in there. We've been together 46 years."

Perhaps this harsh reality is why the Georgia native seems to be in a haze of appreciation these days, as Brown is not only enjoying the recognition that comes as a member of the Grand Ole Opry after more than 300 appearances on the legendary stage, but also enjoying a time where he just might be putting out his best music yet.

And he’s doing it all on the cusp of his 70th birthday.

"I left Sheila a note before I go to sleep and I was just saying, 'Hey, we did it,'" the Grammy-nominated artist exclaims. "The best part has been seeing her so happy. It makes me feel like a million dollars."

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It's a feeling that Brown admits he hasn’t always been capable of feeling, as he has long been open about the personal struggles he has faced throughout his career.

"I was very close to dying," Brown remembers of his past mental health struggles. "But it's all better now." He pauses. "I make my living singing and I have a little income from songs, and I get to be in a movie every now and then and I have my SiriusXM show Live Wire. But our main thing is helping people get sober and to educate people about mental illness. That's really all we care about."

It's that care and this new place that Brown finds himself in that can be heard in Brown’s gorgeous rendition of the Otis Redding classic "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" with Randy Houser, premiering exclusively on PEOPLE.

"I love the way he sings," Brown says of the "How Country Feels" hitmaker, 48. "We recorded the song at Randy's house. He's got a studio in his basement. I mean, we've played golf together. We know each other. I knew he'd do it, and I knew he'd kill it."

And Houser wasn't the only one that killed it.

On Brown’s upcoming record From Memphis to Muscle Shoals, the “I Tell It Like It Used to Be”  hitmaker collaborates with some of the most iconic voices on some of the most legendary songs, from Tanya Tucker on "The Dark End of the Street,"  to Wynonna Judd on "Take Me to the River"  to Zach Williams on "When a Man Loves a Woman."

"I've been wanting to do a soul record all my life,” says Brown of the new album set for release this August. "I came up in this business with Randy Travis, Marty Stuart, Keith Whitley, Patty Loveless and Dwight Yoakam. We have all remained really good friends through all these years. We still love each other, and we have stayed in touch with each other, and we still pull for each other. So, it was when Dwight and I recorded ‘I’m Your Puppet’ that everything seemed to start for this record."

Related: Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless and Songwriter Bob McDill Enter Country Music Hall of Fame

Joining him on the record is also legendary artists such as Bettye LaVette, Delbert McClinton, and Eddie Floyd.

"My reasoning behind getting these 'old' guys was because I wanted to show the world that they could still carry the mail," says Brown, who is currently on his “I Tell It Like It Used to Be” headlining tour and who will also play on the Chevy Vibe stage at CMA Fest next month.

"Their phones don't ring very often with opportunities with people asking them to sing. I think some of them feel forgotten. So, it turns out I got all these great legends on this record and I'm really hoping that we can get a Grammy nomination on it for some of these people. It's not going to hurt my feelings if we don't, but it would be really special."

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