Where has this been all my life?
At this point, “Tennessee Whiskey” might be just be the most popular country song of all time. Written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, the song was originally recorded by David Allan Coe in 1981, and then once again by George Jones in 1983 before Chris Stapleton’s version broke the internet in 2015.
Back in 2004, PBS honored the great George Jones with a television special hosted by Reba McEntire, that featured performances Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Emmylou Harris, and Kris Kristofferson.
When it came time for Kenny to lay down his tribute to 50 years of George Jones hits, he went with “Tennessee Whiskey,” in an arrangement much closer to that of George.
Of course Stapleton’s bluesy rendition didn’t come about until over 10 years later.
