When it comes to classic country covers, Eric Church does not miss.
At a tribute show in Austin, Texas back in 2015, he covered the title track to Waylon Jennings’ 1973 album, “Lonesome, On’ry And Mean.”
Right around the time of the song’s original release, after Waylon had taken time off to recover from some health issues and regroup, this project revived his passion for country music and was instrumental in solidifying Waylon’s outlaw image in the genre.
He was burned out from an artistic standpoint after years of being told what he could or couldn’t record, and even considered retiring from music altogether.
But after a disagreement with his label that led to the legendary $25,000 piss, Waylon secured creative freedom for his future records and started work on the aforementioned album that features this song as the title track.
Though this specific song was never released as a single to country radio, it became one of his most popular tunes nonetheless.
The 2015 tribute show included a star-studded list of artists, including Chris Stapleton, Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson and Kacey Musgraves, who all joined up to sing “Luckenbach, Texas”, too.
Paying tribute to the Hoss:
Waylon’s 1973 live performance of the song:
