One of my favorite old wives’ tales of modern-day country music. In 2013, Tyler Childers released his song “Charleston Girl,” which was recorded live from an appearance on Red Barn Radio, and it quickly became a fan favorite. Although fans love the song, Childers has never released a studio version of “Charleston Girl,” but he re-released it to streaming platforms in 2018 as part of the Red Barn Radio Sessions I and II. The song is about a hypnotizing yet terrifying woman he encountered while performing in Charleston, West Virginia, just across the river from his home state of Kentucky. Childers, who was still young in his career, understands that he and this woman are in the thick of it as non-lucrative musicians battling addiction and their own demons. However, while most are selfish during this point in their lives, Childers sympathizes with this woman, wishing he could help her. Perhaps Childers isn’t singing about a woman but a version of himself he sees—someone who is lost, with little direction, and who looks to escape through a high. While Childers has never publicly confirmed what inspired the songs, over the years, there have been a few theories about who this “Charleston Girl” might be. There has been speculation that a fellow country music artist, the 4x Grammy Award-winning Sierra Ferrell, inspired the lyrics. Today, country fans know Ferrell as an ethereal queen who effortlessly belts out lyrics and has more talent in a single fingertip than most have in their whole body. However, Ferrell did not grow up knowing she wanted to be a country star like other musicians. She had a very rough upbringing. Born to a poor single mother, Ferrell was raised in Charleston, West Virginia, and spent much of her young adult life jumping trains and busking in various cities to survive. Ferrell left her mountain home as opioid addiction spread throughout the state. However, even though Ferrell fled to a state to escape her past traumas and addictions, she did not entirely escape them and struggled with opioid and heroin addiction for quite some time. After breaking out in the country scene, she candidly opened up about her struggles and that she’s overdosed multiple times. “I remember shooting up, and I was just on the floor… and then I reloaded and did it again. And I was like ‘Oh no’ and I just fell over. Before I knew it, I was kind of looking through my eyes. And then everything was going at the same time… like time did not exist. So I was seeing all these tracers of the future and the past, and the present. And my friend was pacing and crying and shaking me and was like, ‘Wake up, wake up.’” She shared on the Zach Sang Show, and during a separate interview with CBS Mornings, she shared that the particular overdose happened while she was back in West Virginia. @zachsangshow @Sierra Ferrell on what its like to die and what she experienced before being brought back to life #sierraferrell #heaven #god #homeless #recovery #zachsangshow #zachsang #fyp #foryou @Amazon Music ♬ original sound – Zach Sang Show So why do people think that Ferrell inspired this song? Check out the similarities between the chorus of “Charleston Girl” and this quote from a CBS Mornings interview. When asked why Ferrell left West Virginia, she said: “I left because I feel like I’ve always had a wild side to me… And I knew that if I stayed there, I probably wouldn’t still be alive… And so, I left and searched for, maybe, myself. Maybe to find out what else there is, maybe even a reason to live.” Now, take a look at the chorus’ lyrics. “All I know is that when I am good and soberI am leaving West Virginia for a whileDon’t know why but every time I cross that riverLord, there’s somethin’ tears me up, makes me wild…” There are definitely some similarities… It’s also known that Tyler Childers and Sierra Ferrell were in Charleston around the same time, trying to make it in country music, and some of the characteristics of “Charleston Girl” match what Ferrell’s appearance looked like when she was a traveler. “Charleston girl with raven hair, bloodshot eyes and skin so fair…” However, according to Tyler himself, the song is actually about his first time performing in Charleston, as part of what he would call a very eclectic lineup. In an old performance clip from 2015, he says: “This next song is called ‘Charleston Girl.’ My first time ever playing in Charleston, West Virginia, was a pretty interesting time. I opened up for a pretty eclectic group of individuals. It was me and my guitar, and then it was a screamo band The AK Forty Sexuals, after that, it was a rap duo called Dinosaur Burps, and after that was a thrash-grass band. And if you don’t know what thrash-grass is, it’s when a bunch of punk rockers decide that they’re gonna play punk rock songs on bluegrass instruments. They headlined and they still have my $60, so I got a t-shirt and this song out of it.” The thrash-grass band he’s referring to is the Fabulous Brothers Steele, hence the “Steele brothers” line in the first verse, and the concert was actually October 22nd, 2011, at the Blue Parrot. I found an old flyer for it. And while that’s a great story from Tyler, it doesn’t actually answer the question. We know that Sierra was playing in a band called 600 Pounds of Sin, which got started as a Grateful Dead cover band, and she was playing around Charleston at that time. It’s definitely possible that she and Tyler knew each other from playing around town, but probably a stretch to draw such the conclusion that it is about her. Sierra also has discussed an opioid addiction and Tyler certainly mentions another kind of illicit substance. While I don’t think we will ever get an answer from Childers about whether “Charleston Girl” was inspired by run-ins with Sierra Ferrell, it’s a great wives’ tale to think that it could be. If “Charleston Girl” was about Ferrell, Childers has got to be proud of the woman and musician she has become. They both have found their way and make music that continues to shape the current state of country music for the better. And both are two of the many shining examples that the Appalachia region has produced some of the best country music int he world as of late. Fire up the tune before you go. The post Fact Or Fiction: Did Tyler Childers Write “Charleston Girl” About Sierra Ferrell? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.