We all know and love Tyler Childers for his fantastic gritty vocals and songwriting.
However, the guy can equally kill a cover of just about anything as well. We’ve seen the Eastern Kentuckian put together some insanely good renditions of S.G. Goodman’s “Space & Time,” Hank Williams’ “The Old Country Church,” John Prine’s “Yes I Guess They Oughta Name a Drink After You,” and many more.
Even recently, he’s worked a number of them into his live set, including Charlie Danielss “Trudy,” “Kenny Rogers’ “Tulsa Turnaround,” Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through The Night,” and more.
But, the man recently performed a great rendition of Robert Earl Keen’s “What I Really Mean,” the title track of his 2005 album.
The song by Keen himself is already an emotional, yet upbeat song about wishing your former significant other was right there by your side through some damn good times out on the road.
And needless to say, Childers does the song justice and then some, when you throw in his vocals that add a unique twist to the song.
Earlier this year, Robert Earl Keen announced his retirement for the road, and he brought Tyler along for a benefit concert. Of course, REK opened up for Tyler Childers at Red Rocks one year so the respect is mutual.
And speaking of Childers, his iconic 2017 Purgatory album recently went RIAA Certified Platinum.
Check it out:
THE SUIT. pic.twitter.com/ZbQscEKxO9
— Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) August 11, 2022
Robert Earl Keen Covers Tyler Childers’ “Whitehouse Road”
Oftentimes in country music, we see a younger artist covering someone on the older side.
Maybe it’s someone they grew up listening to, or someone that inspires them in some way, but it’s always a sign of respect to the artist they’re covering.
Well, we’re now getting the inverse of that and I’m very much here for it.
The legendary Robert Earl Keen recently covered Tyler Childers at one of his shows and it’s a must watch.
Here you go…@robertearlkeen @TTChilders https://t.co/FMsxzbvPiK pic.twitter.com/oXAnk0lM5e
— Galleywinter (@galleywinter) June 4, 2021
Keen, who is more than 30 years Childers’ senior, clearly has a respect for his work. REK ironically might be most famous for having his songs covered by the likes of George Strait, Joe Ely, The Highwaymen and many others.
However, Keen has worked with Tyler Childers in the past. They performed together at the Red Rocks Amphitheater during Childers’ performance there in September of 2019.
“Whitehouse Road,” can of course be found on Tyler’s 2017 breakout album, Purgatory. Already going Gold without an ounce of radio support, I’m 100% confident that we’ll all look back on this album as one of the more legendary albums of the era.
And the best part? He’s just getting started.
Here’s the original version from the OurVinyl session for your viewing pleasure.