In a relatively short amount of time, we’ve seen Tyler Childers catapult himself into the upper echelons of the country music world.
Hailing from Lawrence County, Kentucky, Tyler is as gifted as a songwriter as you’ll ever find in country music. In a genre built on the foundation of authentic storytelling, timeless human experience, struggle, and redemption, Tyler’s music encompasses all of it, painting vivid scenes, both in beauty and in pain, of life in Appalachia.
His captivating lyricism, dynamic melodies and poignant delivery manage to transport you to place you’ve never been, and make you feel connected to people you’ve never met.
And an ever-present theme in his songwriting has always been notions of God, faith, religion and spirituality. Like many in Appalachia, Tyler is no stranger to growing around the church, and it’s reflected in his music.
I mean, his first two albums are literally titled, Bottles and Bibles and Purgatory. And a number of his past songs either nod to Christianity, or have a spiritual feel to it, with songs like “Hard Times,” “Bottles and Bibles,” “Born Again,” “Purgatory,” “The Gospel (According to Fishermen),” “Universal Sound,” and “Follow You To Virgie,” just to name a few.
But with some of the new stuff he’s been playing, could we be seeing a Tyler Childers Gospel record on the horizon?
There’s a lot of signs that point to yes, considering there have been some videos surfacing of him singing a handful of what seem to be Gospel-inspired songs, and covering some others as well.
“Triune God”
An old fashioned boot stomper of a Southern tent revival song… you could play this one at the Sunday service.
“Luke Chapter 2 Verses 8-10”
Dubbed his “first Christmas song” this new one with the working title “Luke Chapter 2 Verses 8-10” ponders what it would’ve been like when the angels appeared to the shepherds on the day Jesus was born.
And then, he’s been regularly covering some other Gospel-inspired songs as well.
“The Old Country Church” (Hank Williams cover)
All-time classic.
“Greatest Story Ever Told (Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead cover)”
Not a Christian song per se, but with mentions of Moses, Abraham, Gideon and Isaac, as well as the title being a common name of the Gospel, there’s a lot of Biblical imagery going on there.
Tyler also recently performed it with Bob Weir and the Wolf Bros:
Now there’s one thing we all know about the man, and it’s that he has one of the most powerful voices in all of country music, and can deliver a message through song as well as anybody.
But whether it’s a Gospel-inspired album or not, I’m just hoping we get something soon from the man… we’re hungry for it.
I’m diggin’ this new one too… it’s about big asses.
