JD Clayton can kill a John Denver cover.
To be fair, he could kill just about any cover, but the one he dropped recently of Denver’s relatively deep cut “This Old Guitar” is something else.
And if you aren’t familiar with the tune, or Clayton for that matter, this is a great introduction to them both.
John Denver originally released “This Old Guitar” as the final track on his 1974 record Back Home Again, which also features two of his biggest hits in “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” and “Annie’s Song.”
An ode to the six string instrument with which Denver and countless other musicians have forged their careers, “This Old Guitar” is a classic account of an artist’s inseparable relationship with their guitar.
Clayton, who covered the song live at Carter Vintage Guitars on a 1938 Martin D-18 last year, took to Instagram to provide some context as to why he is releasing the cover to streaming platforms over a year later.
“Good morning and happy Thursday folks!! It’s a beautiful day out there.
Here to tell you that tonight at midnight I’m dropping my version of my favorite John Denver song ‘This Old Guitar.’ Some of y’all might remember I did a video with Carter Vintage Guitars awhile back. Well, we decided I should just put it out so y’all can listen to it everyday on the fly.
So drink some espresso today and prepare to stay up till midnight!!! Gonna be a great day!”
A native of Fort Smith, AR, JD Clayton is a name that needs to be on every country music fan’s radar. He’s been around for a little while now, having released his first single in 2018, but with his debut album Long Way From Home dropping this past January, Clayton truly showed the world what he was capable of.
With savvy songwriting and a knack for storytelling, and those awesome vocals to boot, JD Clayton has something special going on, and with plenty of solid momentum behind him, it’s just a matter of time until his career really takes off.
Check out Clayton covering John Denver’s “This Old Guitar” here.
And in case this gets you interested in the original version, here’s that too, with a pretty awesome story about Denver’s first guitar..
Go ahead and check out a few of my favorite JD Clayton originals too, and see his talent for yourself.
“Goldmine”
“Cotton Candy Clouds”
“Twenty-Two”
“American Millionaire”
