20-Year-Old College Student With Crazy Deep Voice Sings Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire”

A boy with a smile

20 years old?

20?!

I’m not one for singing competition shows, but when you stumble upon something like this you have to take note of it…

During Season 20 auditions for American Idol, a baby-faced kid by the name of Luke Taylor gave the judges and audience way more than could be expected from someone still in college that quite honestly looks like he should still be in high school.

We all had that kid in class whose voice dropped before everyone else. It was almost scary at first, but certainly made me and my pip-squeak voice quite jealous.

Well, I can only imagine what Zach’s classmates were thinking when he walked in after hitting that puberty driven summer growth spurt.

After starting his audition with a voiceover for a pretend movie starring Luke Bryan, he launched into a piano backed version of the great Johnny Cash song “Ring of Fire,” followed by a Luke Bryan requested version of “Frosty The Snowman.”

And I have to say, I really enjoyed it.

Now, do I think the kid is the next coming of Keith Whitley? No, of course not. But come on, there is something there and with a bit of vocal development as he ages (remember, he’s just 20), there is some serious potential for a great performer here.

He punched his ticket to Hollywood where he was eliminated following the Genre Challenge.

And if not singing, there’s always voice acting, which I’m sure he could get quite a few gigs in just by introducing himself to the interviewer…

Good luck kid, we’re rooting for you.

Luke Taylor & His Insanely Deep Voice Cover “Fraulein”

20-year-old Luke Taylor wowed the world with his jaw dropping deep voice, as he sang Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” on American Idol.

Seriously, people can smoke multiple packs of cigs a day for their whole lives (not recommended), and still be unable to have a voice that deep.

Needless to say, the dude’s gotta incredibly rare talent.

Although he didn’t make it very far on American Idol, videos have began to surface of the Taylor covering songs, and even making another appearance on the singing show I Can See Your Voice and singing Toby Keith and Willie Nelson’s “Beer For My Horses.”

Speaking of his covers, his latest one is none other than the widely-covered, “Fraulein.”

Originally written by Lawton Williams, and first released in 1957 by Bobby Helms, “Fraulein” has been covered by everyone from Willie Nelson and Jerry Lee Lewis, to Townes van Zandt.

However, one of the most popular versions appeared on Colter Wall’s debut, self-titled album in 2017, where he teamed up with Tyler Childers for a cover of the old tune.

Singing in a stairwell with his buddy Ethan Reeves on the acoustic guitar, he delivers an impressive rendition of the song, bringing that deep vocal sound akin to Colter Wall. Meanwhile, Ethan’s higher register mirrors more closely to that of Tyler Childers.

Nice work fellas.

Here’s the version from Colter Wall and Tyler Childers…

For my money, it’s one of the most underrated songs on planet Earth.

The Cash Family Nixed A Johnny Cash “Ring Of Fire” Commercial?

When June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore first penned “Ring Of Fire,” something tells me they never saw this coming.

Of course, “Ring Of Fire” was popularized by Johnny Cash in 1963, and went on to become one of the most iconic country music songs of all time.

According to her autobiography, I Walked The Line: My Life With Johnny, Cash’s first wife Vivian alleges that Johnny wrote the song himself but gave the credit to June Carter.

And it pissed Vivian off because she could tell he was smitten by her:

“One day in early 1963, while gardening in the yard, Johnny told me about a song he had just written with Merle Kilgore and Curly while out fishing on Lake Casitas.

‘I’m gonna give June half credit on a song I just wrote,’ Johnny said. ‘It’s called “Ring of Fire.”‘

‘Why?’ I asked, wiping dirt from my hands. The mere mention of her name annoyed me. I was sick of hearing about her.

‘She needs the money,’ he said, avoiding my stare. ‘And I feel sorry for her.’ 

I was so naïve and trusting. The idea made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t argue about it. I still believed everything Johnny told me.

To this day, it confounds me to hear the elaborate details June told of writing that song for Johnny. She didn’t write that song any more than I did.

The truth is, Johnny wrote that song, while pilled up and drunk, about a certain private female body part. All those years of her claiming she wrote it herself, and she probably never knew what the song was really about.”

Of course, Johnny would go on to divorce Vivian in 1966 and would later marry June Carter in 1968… so her fears proved to be true.

But whether it was written by Johnny or June, and whether it was about female body parts or burning love, “Ring Of Fire” firmly cemented its place in the country music history books.

However, in 2004, it took a funny twist.

Merle Kilgore, the co-writer of the song and manager of Hank Williams Jr., got a call from Florida television producer who cooked up the idea to feature “Ring Of Fire” in a hemorrhoid commercial for Preparation H.

Ok, that’s pretty funny… I mean, it’s a perfect fit.

Kilgore thought it was funny and had even made that joke himself in the past, but the Cash Family wasn’t having any of it.

Rosanne Cash told The Tennessean in a 2004 interview:

“He started talking about this moronic tie-in without talking to any of us. The song is about the transformative power of love and that’s what it has always meant to me and that’s what it will always mean to the Cash children.”

Kilgore apologized, and the commercial idea got thrown in the trash.

“I certainly didn’t want to upset the Cash family because I love them. I just thought it was kind of funny.”

Oh, what could’ve been…

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