William Clark Green sure knows how to write a song, and he knows how to cover ‘em too.
The legendary Texas troubadour has long been revered as a spectacular songwriter and performer, both regionally and nationally, for the better part of his 15+ year career. Through his individual work as well as his work with the newer Texas country supergroup The Panhandlers, Green has amassed a deep and diverse catalog full of entertaining stories, witty lyricism, and plenty of tracks that’ll pull on your heartstrings.
Recently, though, instead of playing one of his own sad tunes for his followers, Green took to Instagram to share an acoustic version of one of his favorite songs, and this one’s about as somber as it gets. So, if sad songs make you happy, you’re going to want to check out Green’s passionate cover of Chris Knight’s melancholic classic “Enough Rope.”
“Enough Rope – Chris Knight. I’d argue that Chris Knight is one of the best songwriters out there and as most of y’all know he is a big inspiration for me. Here’s one of those songs that hits deep for me. Thank y’all for checking it out.”
I’d have to agree with WCG’s take that Chris Knight is one of the best songwriters to do it, and “Enough Rope,” is one of my favorites as well. Originally released as the title track on Chris Knight’s 2006 record Enough Rope, this track in particular has withstood the test of time and inspired plenty of other songwriters throughout its life.
For those of you who may not be too familiar, Knight hails from Western Kentucky but found particular fame in Texas and Oklahoma. A prolific songwriter from the 1990s through much of the 2010s, Knight is a master lyricist and has been a great influence to many of today’s greatest songwriters. Prior to focusing on his own music career, Knight wrote tons of songs recorded by other acts including Randy Travis, John Anderson, Montgomery Gentry, Blake Shelton, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and more.
Check out the original version of “Enough Rope” here.
With a knack for storytelling and powerfully sad songs, Knight’s own music is truly a force to be reckoned with, and it doesn’t receive nearly as much attention as it should.
Thankfully, though, Charles Wesley Godwin brought some attention to another one of Knight’s biggest hits this year, recording a powerful cover of “The Jealous Kind.”
Aside from joining Godwin in the good fight to keep spreading Knight’s music to new audiences, William Clark Green has been active this year, touring heavily with his own band as well as playing a handful of shows with The Panhandlers, as well as recent releasing a follow up to his 2022 record The Baker Hotel with Live from the Baker Hotel on November 3.
The 24 track live record features every song from The Baker Hotel, as well as plenty of commentary in between.
Give a few of these live recordings a listen for yourself below.
“Baker Hotel”
“Best Friends”
Anymore”
