This Throwback Clip of Tim McGraw and His Band Warming up With an Outlaw Country Classic Is the Energy I’m Taking Into the Weekend

Tim McGraw has spent the last three decades earning his place in the Country Music Hall of Fame. He has notched 26 No. 1 singles, starred in some films and TV shows that are destined to become classics, and helmed some of the biggest tours in the genre’s history. In short, there’s no denying that McGraw is a man of many talents. However, many fans may be unaware that he can reach legendary levels of outlaw country twang when the mood strikes him.

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McGraw is best known for his smooth voice and songs like “Don’t Take the Girl,” “She Never Lets It Go to Her Head,” and “Just to See You Smile.” The clip below shows a different side of the country superstar, though. Posted in 2011, the video shows McGraw and his band having an acoustic jam session before a concert. They’re doing “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Some Day).” John Anderson made it a top 10 hit, but it was penned by outlaw country legend Billy Joe Shaver.

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While the video’s caption mentions Anderson, McGraw’s vocal performance here is much closer to Shaver’s Texas twang. More importantly, these guys are clearly having a blast with the song. This is the kind of energy I want to carry into the weekend.

Tim McGraw Taps into an Outlaw Classic

Billy Joe Shaver was a largely unsung hero of the outlaw country movement. His songwriting and refusal to be ignored are directly responsible for Waylon Jennings’ landmark 1973 album Honky Tonk Heroes. Moreover, his music and philosophy embodied the outlaw spirit. He did things his way, and if someone didn’t like it, that was their problem, not his. Unfortunately, that means he never found the mainstream success enjoyed by his contemporaries.

Today, Shaver isn’t a household name. However, his music is carried on by artists who are. Jennings, Johnny Cash, and several others recorded his songs over the years. John Anderson took “Old Chunk of Coal” to No. 4 in 1981. Decades later, one of the biggest stars in the genre and his band used the classic as a warm-up tune because they knew it note for note. That, I think, speaks more to the power of Shaver’s legacy than any number of chart-topping hits or CMA trophies ever could.

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