I was scratching my head a little upon seeing our last Chain Gang entry – ‘Possum Ran Over My Grave’ by Jesse Dayton – about just which direction to go in next. One option would be to find another song similarly about the joy of live music and touring, while another might be a connection with one of the many legendary figures Dayton has worked with (Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings being just two of those names), but ultimately, I decided to go another way.
In ‘Possum Ran Over My Grave’, Dayton sings: “It’s the feelin’ you get when a George Jones song plays / It’s like a possum ran over your grave” so I decided that it’d be nice to go from one song with a George Jones shout out to another.
In 2020, Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen released a follow up to their 2015 collaboration album ‘Hold My Beer, Vol. 1’ – predictably called ‘Hold My Beer, Vol. 2’ – and one of the highlights on the album (listening to which might be some of the best fun 2020 has to offer) is ‘Rhinestoned’. Penned by Ashley Ray, Ryan Beaver and the ever impeccable Lori McKenna, it’s a love letter to country music. “Somebody turn me on some George Jones / Pedal steel guitars and neon smoke / The only place I feel right at home / Country music got me rhinestoned,” comes the chorus of a song that’ll give you a spangly shot of country goodness straight into your veins.
Great link and a really good song. Not come across it before – further investigation definitely needed. Thanks Helen.