Get into the Halloween spirit with this cover from the “Red Headed Stranger.” Folks, we’re now just a week or so away from Hallow’s Eve. I’m a big fan of “Spooky Season,” which is why I’ve previously done a deep dive on the ghost of Hank Williams haunting Downtown Nashville, as well as analyzed what I believe to be the creepiest song of Johnny Cash’s catalogue. And fortunately for you, I’ve got yet another spook-tacular story ready to go before the spooky season passes us up and gets eaten up by Christmas. If you’ve never heard the song “Gravedigger” before, you are in for a treat (no tricks required). The first version of the song I ever heard was by Willie Nelson, even though the song was actually first written and recorded by Dave Matthews. The front man of the Dave Matthews Band released the song in 2003, and was apparently inspired to write it after strolling through a cemetery: “It’s kind of these different stories that are brought together by walking through a graveyard with their names and the dates of their births and their deaths, and the stories that came out of their lives. It’s sort of just telling those stories and some others as you wander through a graveyard and what you might think if you could walk into the graves and find out what people went through to get there.” Nothing scarier than a song that was brought to life while walking amongst the dead. And though its written by Matthews, and provided plenty of success for “Crash Into Me” singer, I personally feel like the essence of the morbid song was really captured by Willie Nelson. It’s one of those situations where each version is great in its own right… I just happen to prefer the country music legend’s cover. Willie included the song in is 2008 album Moment of Forever, and even made an eerie black and white music video to go with it. There’s just something about hearing Nelson’s patented southern delivery telling the stories that come along with each verse that screams “Halloween” to me. The first verse focuses in on a fictional person named Cyrus Jones who lived to be 103-years-old: “Cyrus Jones, 1810 to 1913 He made his great grandchildren believe He could live to a hundred and three A hundred and three is forever When you’re just a little kid So Cyrus Jones lived forever” Each verse is linked by a repeating chorus that’s directed at the “Gravedigger,” asking for them to make the narrator’s grave shallow so that they can “feel the rain.” When the song gets into the second verse, the subject matters gets devastating as it focuses on Muriel Stonewall: “Muriel Stonewall, 1903 to 1954 She lost both of her babies in the second great war You should never have to watch As your only children lowered in the ground I mean… never have to bury your own babies” Willie not only nailed the emotion of the song. He also should have won an Academy Award for the acting job he did in the music video. Nelson played the gravedigger, the priest, and the hearse driver. The music video concludes (shortly after it shows a spry Nelson jumping out of the six-foot hole he had just dug) with Willie even playing someone that’s deceased. Check it out (and Happy Halloween): The post Willie Nelson’s Cover Of “Gravedigger” Is The Perfect Song For The Spooky Season first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

He doesn’t miss. Chris Stapleton is one of several country artists featured on the soundtrack for the new season of Nobody Wants This on Netflix, which features a 19-song soundtrack of all-new original songs, featuring artists across all genres, and three of country music’s best made the cut, also including Ella Langley and Kacey Musgraves. They’re all great, but of course, Stapleton just always has that little something extra, and “Heart Letting Go” is an absolutely stunning ballad about heartbreak and coming to the realization that something in a relationship has shifted and is inevitably coming to an end, whether both parties want it to or not. Stapleton penned it with Alan Anderson, and his vocals are just as perfect as ever, and I believe I hear his longtime background vocalist and harmonizer, his wife Morgane Stapleton, lending her voice as well, which always makes any of his songs that much better. I know this song was likely written for this TV show, but it sounds like it could fit right in on any of Stapleton’s albums, which is saying a lot because most TV soundtracks are nowhere near as legit. But when you tap Stapleton for something like this, he’s always going to blow it out of the water… no one does it like him, we all know that. The plot of Nobody Wants This is actually based on a true story, and it became a quick success as fans were captivated by the unconventional love story. The show earned three Emmy nominations, including for outstanding comedy series. The second season is out today, and I’ve definitely seen it in my Netflix “recommended” list before, but I’ve never actually watched it… I might have to now, though, knowing that I can hear some of my favorite country artists on it. Simon Tikhman, co-founder and CEO of music company The Core Entertainment, assembled the soundtrack with Interscope Records, and Tikhman is also the husband of Erin Foster, the creator behind Nobody Wants This. The series is loosely based on their love story, so having him involved in what music is featured in the plotline was an easy call: “The fact that we were able to put together a one-of-a-kind soundtrack with incredible artists speaks to the success of the first season. I wanted the music to reflect the same mix of honesty, sharpness, and heart that Erin brings to the story, while also creating a soundtrack that can stand on its own. I’m deeply invested in this project — and, of course, in its creator — which made getting the music right all the more meaningful.” Clearly, he gave them creative freedom in that Stapleton, Langley and Musgraves were all co-writers on their songs with other country writers, and really got to come up with a song they would actually write and sing in their regular catalogs. This is easily my favorite, though… check it out: “Heart Letting Go” “This Version Of Us” Check out the entire tracklist here: 1. Selena Gomez – “In The Dark” 2. Teddy Swims – “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” 3. Royel Otis – “Who’s Your Boyfriend (Acoustic)” 4. Chris Stapleton – “Heart Letting Go” 5. Kacey Musgraves – “If The World Burns Down” 6. Baylee Lynn – “That’s What I’ll Be” 7. FINNEAS – “Palomino” 8. Towa Bird – “Your Girl” 9. Alessia Cara – “My House” 10. Role Model – “Saddle Again” 11. Just Jayne – “Climate Change” 12. Ella Langley – “This Version Of Us” 13. BENEE –  “What” 14. Portugal. The Man – “Reach You” 15. GIVĒON – “Dancing In The Smoke” 16. Dermot Kennedy – “Melodies” 17. Cuco – “Homesick” 18. Cassandra Coleman – “Bite My Tongue” 19. “Nobody Wants This” Score SuiteThe post Chris Stapleton Releases Stunning Ballad For Netflix Series ‘Nobody Wants This’ Soundtrack, “Heart Letting Go” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed today at her press briefing that the illegal immigrant semi-truck driver, who killed three people earlier this week when he was driving while intoxicated, was . . .

Bubba J on trick or treating | JEFF DUNHAM

Over the past two weeks a series of text leaks on the right and left have shaken up the media cycle.

Democratic leaders rarely have moments of vindication these days. The party is completely out of power at the national level. Its brand is in the toilet, if not the sewer. In March only a quarter of registered voters viewed the party positively, a figure that reflected not just Republican opposition and independents’ indifference but broad displeasure among Democrats. The party’s base may be activated—seven million people took to the streets over the weekend to protest President Trump’s increasingly authoritarian administration—but there is still widespread grassroots frustration with the people leading it.

This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.The post Firebuds first appeared on Worth it or Woke.