COME ON WITH IT.
When it comes to modern day outlaw country, good luck finding someone who embodies the genre better than Cody Jinks. The country singer has tremendous range, as he’s shown in his catalogue, going from slower songs like “Sober Thing” to southern rock anthems like “Must Be The Whiskey.”
Or at his live shows when he plugs in a cover of AC/DC’s high energy “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll).”
AC/DC released the song all the way back in 1975 as a part of their iconic T.N.T. album. Obviously, the song has had tremendous staying power, as do much of their recordings. And that’s partly thanks to artists like Jinks who have an appreciation for rock and roll and want to help carry on the legacy of some of the greats.
Jinks actually talked about his appreciation for rock and roll and heavy metal bands when he sat down with the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast. As explained, his musical upbringing led him to take a liking to the “harder stuff,” though he was also partial to the country music genre as well:
“I don’t know if I have a country heart and a heavy metal soul, or vice versa. I do know that country is my first love. But when I was 14 or 15 years old, the part of Texas where I’m from, Pantera was a huge deal. I had already gotten into Metallica and had heard a lot of the more radio-friendly hard rock bands of that time.
I really loved that, and was really raised on… if dad was home, it was all country. When dad would go to work, that’s when mom would throw on the Elton John and whatever rock and roll stuff. So I had a good upbringing musically. I really latched on to the emotion of heavy metal, and the angst.”
In case you didn’t know, Jinks actually got his start in the music industry as a part of a metal band called Unchecked Aggression. When that band broke up, Jinks decided to take a swing at a country music career. That’s obviously worked out wonderfully for the “Loud and Heavy” singer.
But even though he’s now underneath the umbrella of country, you can always hear his rock and metal roots bleed through in his music (he also has a rock project called Canned By Nod). It’s no secret that Jinks loves to rock out, which is why he often works “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll)” into his setlist.
When Cody Jinks took the stage at Mempho Fest in Memphis, Tennessee, he brought out a heavy metal friend of of his to help him with the AC/DC hit: Zakk Wylde. For those that don’t know, Wylde is famous for being the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, and also gets credit for being the founder of the heavy metal group Black Label Society.
Long story short, the math here is pretty simple. Cody Jinks – a man who knows how to do a rock song justice – plus Zakk Wylde – who can shred a guitar like non other – equals one rowdy performance of “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll)” that I’m 110% sure AC/DC would give their stamp of approval.
Check it out:
