Watch Ashley Monroe Deliver a Gorgeous Cover of George Jones’ ‘Bartender’s Blues’
Ashley Monroe offers up a tear-jerking version of the George Jones classic "Bartender's Blues" in a video for the Grand Ole Opry's Radio Replay series. Readers can press play above to hear the emotionally delivered waltz.
"I heard this song, 'Bartender's Blues,' driving into the Grand Ole Opry today, and it's one of my favorite George Jones songs," Monroe explains before launching into her performance. "I think this song just has all of the good country song feelings in it that I love about country music."
Accompanied only by a waltz-style fiddle line, Monroe and her acoustic guitar deliver a shimmering interpretation of the 40-year-old classic ballad, applying her trademark delicate soprano vocals to the forlorn lyrical message.
Originally written and recorded by James Taylor for his album, JT, in 1977, the tune was the title track for Jones' album the following year, and climbed all the way to No. 6 on the charts back then. Monroe's treatment of the ages-old hit gives it the emotional justice it deserves.
No stranger to the worlds of classic country and bluegrass, Monroe's newest album, Sparrow, which arrived on April 20, quickly garnered one especially famous fan. In a recent interview with The Boot, Monroe recalled receiving a phone call from a tearful Alison Krauss: The bluegrass legend had listened to the album's opening track, "Orphan," and just had to call Monroe to express how much she loved the song. Monroe recently dropped her new single, "Hands on You," which she performed earlier this week on Late Night with Seth Meyers. in addition to working on new music for a Pistol Annies reunion with bandmates Miranda Lambert and Angaleena Presley.
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