Tyler Childers is shining a light on the bluegrass/gospel hit “Old Country Church.” And what better way to celebrate the track than to take folks at the Grand Ole Opry to church with a stellar performance of the song?
Teaming up with the Del McCoury Band and Ricky Skaggs, the stage was filled with some of country music’s best players. The performance occurred last week, celebrating two decades of Del McCoury’s Opry membership. The night was filled with other incredible performances, but Tyler Childers joining them on stage takes the cake for the highlight of the evening.
While Childers performs the song with a more upbeat and modern tempo on his 2022 album Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven?, he dials the sound back to its traditional bluegrass-rooted sound for this performance. With Del McCoury being one of the most decorated bluegrass players, it would be a crime not to play it to his sound. And, of course, having Ricky Skaggs on mandolin during the performance adds another level of bluegrass excellence to the sound.
With Childers leading the vocals, McCoury chimes in for beautiful harmonies that captivate listeners. For the end of the song, Skaggs also steps up the microphone, adding a third part to the harmonies, rounding out the fantastic performance.
“Precious years (precious years) of memories (sweet memories)
Oh, what joy (oh, what joy) they bring to me (they bring to me)
How I long (how I long) once more to be (once more to be)
With my friends at the old country church…”
Everything about this performance gets a gold star. THIS is country music, and it perfectly blends the old with the new.