Long before Justin Timberlake teamed up with Chris Stapleton for their 2015 CMA Awards performance.
While HARDY deemed the performance the end of “bro country,” Justin Timberlake had embraced true country music decades before when he graced the stage in 1992 on the TV show Star Search.
Ah, yes, another great artist who took to a competition-style show to get their start.
Following in the footsteps of another great found on TV, an 11-year-old Justin Timberlake put on his best belt buckle and pearl snap to belt out some Alan Jackson. Off of Jackson’s 1991 Don’t Rock the Jukebox album, Timberlake lets it rip on his cover of “Love’s Got A Hold On You.”
The single scored Jackson his fifth career number one, and for a good reason: it’s a heater.
A young Timberlake puts the twang on his voice for this performance, even putting a growl on parts of the lyrics, making him sound well beyond his years.
“I called my doctor on the telephoneHelp me Doc there’s something wrongI can’t shake it it’s gone too farHe said tell me what your symptoms are…”
Timberlake, a Tennessee native, would later become an integral part of the boy band NSYNC, but you can’t help but wonder if he missed his calling as the next big country music star.
He sure looked comfortable when re-entered the genre for his duet with Stapleton in 2015 for one night only.
Check out Timberlake with Stapleton on the CMA Awards stage. They burned it down, bringing all the soul to their duet of Stapleton’s beloved single “Tennessee Whiskey.”
