Giving ‘ol Willie a run for his money.
Back in April of 2023 during Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday celebration, the stars were out in full force to celebrate the living legend. With the likes of George Strait, Tyler Childers, Dwight Yoakam, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Billy Strings, Miranda Lambert and even Dave Matthews (just to name a few), there were plenty of memorable performances over the course of the two-night celebration.
However, there was one performance that truly stood out, and that performance was none other than reigning ACM Male Vocalist of the Year, Chris Stapleton’s, cover of Willie’s 1982 hit, “Always On My Mind.”
There’s no doubt that “Always On My Mind” is one of the most iconic songs in the genre’s history. Though it was originally recorded by soul singer, Gwen McRae, back in 1972 before being recorded by the likes of Brenda Lee and even Elvis himself, the song didn’t become the classic that it has become until Willie released it back in February of 1982.
Since Willie’s release of the song, it has regularly been crowned as one of the greatest country songs ever recorded for good reason. Between the iconic piano intro, Willie’s emotional vocals, the incredible backup vocal performance and the soaring post-chorus, “Always On My Mind” is the epitome of everything a sad country song should be.
In typical Chris Stapleton fashion, he didn’t just deliver a phoned-in tribute. Backed by Willie’s band, he delivered what can be only described as the best performance of the song second only to the “Red Headed Stranger” singer himself.
The more I dive deeper into Chris and his extensive history of covers which includes the likes of Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance,” Garth Brooks’ “Shameless” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man,” I become more and more convinced that he was the “Country Music Jesus” that Eric Church sang about all the way back in 2011. He’s simply that good.
Watch here: