From the Brent Cobb archives.
Back in 2013, Cobb shot a campfire session of his own and covered one of the greats, Mr. George Jones.
“White Lightning” is a classic tune across all genres. When the young Jones recorded the song in 1959, he was the new kid on the country music scene. Little did he know that this would become his first number-one single.
Brent Cobb and his band gathered around a campfire in 2013 to cover the song, and shortly after the recording, Jones passed. This version of the song, unknowingly at the time, paid a remarkable tribute. Brent Cobb’s songwriting skills breathed new light into the traditionally recorded song.
“When we taped the Fireside Sessions, I had no idea that George would be leaving us so soon. This is my tribute to him. RIP George.”
The slightly slowed pace featured all the picking from string instruments. He brought you an upright bass, banjo, acoustic and electric guitar, and a bare-bones drum set to keep the melody on track.
The cover has funk, twang, and you can tell they are having a blast coving this classic song. It’s the perfect setting to cover a song about bootleggin’ moonshine to shoot it in the woods.
The song’s first verse describes the feeling a little too perfectly of taking a swig of moonshine and feeling the lighter fluid go down your throat.
“Well, in North Carolina, way back in the hills
Me and my old pappy, and he had him a still
We brewed white lightnin’ ’til the sun went down
And then he’d fill him a jug, and he’d pass it around
Mighty, mighty pleasin’, pappy’s corn squeezin’
Whshhhoooh… white lightnin’.”
At the end of the song, the band loops back to the first verse for a little breakdown jam.
It’s a damn good cover from the ever-great Brent Cobb.
Give it a listen.
And, of course, here is the original version from George Jones.
