“Lonesome for a Livin’” is one of my favorite twangy, honky tonk, sad country songs that has come out in a hot minute.
Inspired by the great George Jones, Blackberry Smoke, and Jamey Johnson could not have been a better duo to pair up and pay tribute to him. Both artists are known for putting out good ole honky-tonkin’ music, which hits the sweet spot.
The original track dropped in late January of this year and has been a constant on my playlists since then.
The accompanying music video shows some iconic clips of Jones combined with studio clips as their smooth vocals and steel guitar licks play in the background.
This music video is one of those that makes the song better than it was on its one, the perfect visual pairing.
This morning, I woke up to find a video from Stage AE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, of Jamey Johnson and Blackberry Smoke performing the tune live.
This version is much more stripped down with a few acoustic guitars, a half drum set for rhythm, and the smooth steel guitar. The lyrics shine so brightly with the stripped-down instruments and let the steel guitar sound echo for everyone to enjoy.
The twang of Johnson’s voice rumbles from deep in his throat, and damn, it’s so good.
I would not be opposed to more heartbreak twangers from this duo in the future.
They gave classic country a hell of a tribute with this one.
Some more amazing clips from the night.
“Heartache” into “My Way To You” by Jamey Johnson
“Sleeping Dogs” by Blackberry Smoke