"Toby Keith was dripping in the red, white and blue," he says of the late country star known for his patriotic songs and his USO tours, "and he was very sad to leave that legacy to no one. So me and Tanya, we kind of fill that void."

Tanya got an early boost as a singer when she appeared in the 1993 movie "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit," which featured a scene in which she and Lauryn Hill sang "His Eye Is on the Sparrow." She went on to release an R&B album the next year and later signed with Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy label, though a planned LP never materialized. (Asked about the sexual abuse several women have accused Combs of in recent months, Tanya says, "I don't have any comment, only because I have a gag order. I can't talk about it legally.")

How does singing country music differ from singing R&B? "You know, I never realized that there was a difference," Tanya says. "When I would see Patti LaBelle and Dolly Parton together on television, they were both flamboyant, they both had red nails. It wasn't until I got into the business of music that they're like, 'This is this, and this is that.'"

The Trotters have continued to blur those genre lines in a series of singles they've released this year, including the lush "Stealing a Kiss," which calls to mind the psychedelic soul music of the 1970s, and the bluegrass-steeped "Leads Me Home." "Called You By Your Name," meanwhile, is a blistering gospel-rock rave-up with blaring New Orleans-style brass.

The couple have tentative plans to release an album early next year, though they're booked solid on the road for the rest of 2024, including festival dates and opening gigs for the likes of Bryan, Lyle Lovett and Gary Clark Jr. (with whom they'll appear Aug. 21 at the Hollywood Bowl).

Michael says he views the job as a support act "with honor and reverence," but he also admits, "I feel drained from it sometimes. I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm wondering when will it be our turn?"

He knows that Nashville rewards the kind of sustained hard work put in by Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson, both of whom said yes to seemingly every invitation before finally leveling up over the last couple of years. But he also knows how many mediocre songs about trucks and beer are filling the country airwaves instead of tunes by the War and Treaty. To keep motivated, he reminds himself of what music once did for him as a veteran experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

"You have your moments where you're f—ing tired and you don't feel like trying to get a crowd to wave their little hands," he says. "But Tanya and I, we've got a song that somebody might need to hear that will cause them to want to live another day. Because our whole heart is in it, we have no choice. That's what keeps me going."

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