Bluegrass legend Del McCoury celebrated twenty years of Grand Ole Opry membership last November. That night, the Del McCoury Band, Ricky Skaggs, and many more took the stage to deliver song after song of great bluegrass to mark the occasion. During the night, Tyler Childers joined Skaggs and the Del McCoury Band for a rendition of “Old Country Church.”
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Last week, The Grand Ole Opry shared a video of the gathering of Appalachian greats playing the classic song. Childers led the band and vocals, strumming his acoustic guitar. Skaggs joined on mandolin and McCoury’s unparalleled band backed them. McCoury and Skaggs also sand harmony during the performance. Watch them bring new life into the classic song below.
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Childers’ bluegrass influences have always shone through in his music. This is especially true for his older songs on Purgatory and Country Squire. However, he seldom dives headfirst into traditional ‘grass. In the video below, fans can watch him stand shoulder-to-shoulder with giants of the genre and hold his own like a champ. At the same time, this song is far from new to the Kentucky native.
Tyler Childers and Countless Others Have Recorded “Old Country Church”
“Old Country Church” is a classic country gospel song. J.W. Vaughan penned the hymn in 1934. According to Secondhand Songs, King’s Sacred Quartet pressed the first recording of the song in 1947. Since then, countless artists have recorded it in as many styles. For instance, country legend Hank Williams Sr. recorded several versions of the song. Notably, he recorded it live at the Grand Ole Opry with Little Jimmy Dickens in 1952.
Other notable artists who have recorded the song include Webb Pierce and the Anita Kerr Singers in 1959, The Stanley Brothers in 1961, Ralph Stanley and His Clinch Mountain Boys in 1971, and Bill Anderson and Jan Howard in 1972 among others. More recently, Childers included the song on his album Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven.
Comparing the style in which he recorded the song on that album with his performance at the Opry in November highlights both his range as an artist and the versatility of the well-worn and much-loved song.
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