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A while back I got criticized for playing the Hank Williams song, Honky Tonk Blues, on HonkyTonkJunkie.com. But how can that be, you ask? It’s Hank Williams and it’s got the words honky tonk in it; wouldn’t that song be tailor-made for the station? Well, yes. Sort of. True, it was written by Hank Williams but the version of the song I played was performed by The Pirates of the Mississippi, a mainstream, country/southern rock band that had its heyday back in the 1990’s.
Back in the early 90’s, I was just getting reacquainted with country music and these guys were one of the first bands I heard. I had just come off a five-year flirtation with hair metal music and The Pirates looked just like a lot of those bands only with a steel guitar. I thought The Pirates were badass and I still do. I really liked their rocked-up version of Honky Tonk Blues and I thought they breathed new life into a great, old song. I don’t think their version took anything away from the original, it was just different.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with cover songs. I enjoy hearing the different interpretations. There are a lot of other guys who have done great versions of famous songs. Jackson Taylor and The Sinners do a bunch of Waylon Jennings covers and while I love the Waylon originals, I absolutely love Jackson’s modern take on his music. Dale Watson has done some Johnny Cash covers among others and Dale always kicks ass no matter what he’s singing. Mainstream artist, Alan Jackson, did an album of covers called, Under The Influence, that is still one of my all time favorite albums. Jackson even went so far as to cover a classic that I didn’t think anyone could ever realistically pull off, or should even try—Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville—and you know what? I actually like Jackson’s version better. The Paul Franklin pedal steel on that track is a work of art.
In the case of all the above-mentioned songs, a country artist or group was covering a famous country song (except Margaritaville) but sometimes genres intermingle and that’s where it gets interesting.
Back when I lived in Nashville in the 90’s, a friend of mine who was playing in a country band, one night started playing a country version of a familiar song that I knew wasn’t country but I couldn’t place what it was until I heard the chorus. The song was The Who’s Squeezebox. His version absolutely knocked me out and caused me to go out and purchase one of The Who’s greatest hits packages (this was before downloading single tracks was widespread). I wish I had a recording of his version today because all the other country covers of that song since then have sucked.
I’ve heard a lot of other great covers of rock songs. The Railbenders did Ozzy Osbourne’s, Crazy Train, and Neil Diamond’s, Sweet Caroline,while Grant Langston did Queen’s Fat Bottomed Girls. These are just a few examples; the list goes on and on.
A great song is a great song even if some versions are more pleasing than others. So with that in mind, expect to hear cover songs on the station. My main goal is to search out and play independent artists you may or may not have heard of. Most of the time they play original music but sometimes, they record a cover from some artist they like and respect and if I like it too, it’s going to get played. | 
