Trick Pony's Ira Dean Has Always Dreamed of Singing with Ronnie Dunn – and Now He's Done It (Exclusive)

"The first time I heard it, I got goosebumps," Dean tells PEOPLE. "It couldn't have come together any better. It was 20 times better than I imagined"

Ronnie Dunn has never met a song he couldn’t sing, but his new collaboration with Ira Dean came awfully close.

"I think we set the Guinness Book of World Records for words sung," Dunn, 71, tells PEOPLE in a recent Zoom interview with a hearty laugh. "It's a tongue-twister. It truly is."

Dean flashes a smile at Dunn in agreement of the lyric-heavy song "Tele-Man," released late last week. But it’s also a smile that hints to a long-lasting friendship that the two artists have shared through the years.

"We toured together years and years ago, back when we were just taking just about half the town out on tour," Dunn explains with a smile about the early days of Brooks & Dunn. "Ira was a live wire, jumping up on the bus and bouncing off the walls with song ideas."

And while the two singer-songwriters briefly went their separate ways, both songwriting and their shared love of country music and the people within it soon brought them back together.

"I think it was at John Carter's wedding [back in 2016] that we reconnected," Dean, 55, tells PEOPLE. "From there, we started writing and just caught up like old friends. Back in the day, being a songwriter, everybody was writing for a George Strait hit, but I was writing for a Brooks & Dunn hit. I wanted Ronnie. I just wanted to hear him sing a song I was part of."

So in many ways, "Tele-Man" is a dream come true for Dean, a founding member of the former country music group Trick Pony.

"My bucket list is complete," remarks Dean of the ambitious song written by Jeffrey Steele and Tony Mullins.

Related: Brooks & Dunn Announce They're Continuing Their Massive 'Reboot' Tour in 2024

Certainly, it's a bucket bursting at the seams at the moment, as artists such as Vince Gill, Brent Mason and Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne also made their way onto "Tele-Man," which serves as an ode to the ole Telecaster guitar and the artists that have been able to master it. 

"In Los Angeles, they call that real fast, super quick guitar playing shredding, and then here (in Nashville) we call it chicken picking,'" Dunn explains. "Brent Mason's the best guitar player in Nashville, if not one of the best in the world really. And Vince is great. I didn't know Vince could chicken pick like that. And John? John reminds me of Danny Gatton, in a way.”

And while none of this star-studded class found themselves recording in the same studio together, Dean was the first to hear it all come together. And to say he was amazed would be an understatement.

"The first time I heard it, I got goosebumps," says Dean, who married wife Jennifer Parisi in February. "It couldn't have come together any better. It was 20 times better than I imagined. When I first heard it, I felt like I needed to redo my vocals. I sound like a duck compared to Ronnie. It's just a humbling experience to have all the guys that I respect go and make a record together. It's just amazing."

It's a feat that Dean seems to be having a hard time believing himself.

"I ain't going to sell no records as Ira Dean, so I need to call in the big horses on this," he says with a slight laugh. "I don't know how to explain it. I've just been in town for a long time, and I've done a lot of things. I was a studio musician and a writer, and then I was in a band and then writing some more. You just pray you leave a mark in this town."

And with this song, Dean feels like he will indeed leave his mark.

"When I called my heroes to play on this, and for them to all show up, I felt like I must have left a little thumbprint in this town for them to come and show support," he says quietly. "It's a great feeling."

"It is all about fun," adds Dunn. "You can talk about money and fame and all that, all you want to, but it’s about having fun."

Related: Hear Ronnie Dunn's New Take on the Holiday Classic 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas'

So, could there be a day when all five music makers find themselves on a stage together performing "Tele-Man" live?

"I hope not," Dunn admits with a laugh.

"We might all step on stage, but I don't know if we'll be singing this one," adds Dean, whose upcoming album I Got Roads will also include collaborations with Gary Allan, David Lee Murphy, Gretchen Wilson and Uncle Kracker. "There are too many words."

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