Charley Crockett to Tribute Country Roots with “Jukebox Charley”

One of the many reasons Charley Crockett is the reigning Saving Country Music Artist of the Year is because of all the effort he expends to make sure the roots of country music are preserved in the modern context, whether that’s through his live performances out on the road, or on his original studio records.

But in between his big releases and over consecutive years now, Crockett has released albums of tribute songs to the past greats of country and blues in his “Lil G.L. Presents” series. His last installment in 2021 payed tribute to James “Slim” Hand called 10 For Slim. His new one Jukebox Charley will take a more omnivorous approach to revitalizing classic tunes when it’s released on April 22nd.

“Jukebox Charley” isn’t just the name of an old Johnny Paycheck song. It’s a good term of endearment for Charley Crockett since he’s quickly proving that that he and his backing band The Blue Drifters can light into just about any classic country song you can call out, and as they prove with the track list of this new album, that includes some of the more obscure cuts from famous artists that deserve renewed attention.

Songs originally written and recorded by the likes of George Jones, Tom T. Hall, and Willie Nelson make the latest Lil G. L. Presents installment. Most of these songs will be new to many, and to the ones they’re old to, the spin Charley Crockett puts on them will make them new to them too.

“I’ve done a few Lil’ G.L. records now,” says Crockett. “This Jukebox Charley LP makes four. I wanted to really stretch out on this one and take some chances. Do something different. We took some risks and laid down a lot of lesser known, more adventurous classics. Hope folks pick up what I’m puttin’ down.”

Ahead of the new album produced by Billy Horton, Charley Crockett has released the song “I Feel For You” originally cut by Jerry Reed on his debut album in 1966. “It really spoke to me, hit me as a timeless song. Once we started the sessions for Jukebox Charley, it became clear this would be a single,” says Crockett.

Crockett also recently performed the song at Gruene Hall as part of CBS Saturday Morning’s “Saturday Sessions” along with “I Need You Love” (see below).

Jukebox Charley is now available for pre-order on vinyl and on CD.

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TRACK LIST:

1. Make Way For a Better Man
(Performer: Willie Nelson / Writer: Cy Coben)
2. I Feel For You
(Performer: Jerry Reed / Writer: Jerry Reed)
3. Lonely In Person
(Writer: Tom T. Hall)
4. Diamond Joe
(Performer: Various / Writer: Cowboy Traditional)
5. Where Have All The Honest People Gone
(Performer: Roger Miller / Writer: Dennis Linde)
6. Home Motel
(Performer: Willie Nelson / Writer: Willie Nelson)
7. Jukebox Charley
(Performer: Johnny Paycheck / Writers: Johnny Paycheck, Aubrey Mayhew)
8. I Hope It Rains At My Funeral
(Performer: Tom T. Hall / Writer: Tom T. Hall)
9. Heartbreak Affair
(Performer: Porter Wagoner / Writer: Kay Adams)
10. Battle With The Bottle
(Writers: Joe Avants Jr., John Koonse)
11. Out Of Control
(Performer: George Jones / Writers: George Jones, Derrell Edwards, Herby Treece)
12. Six Foot Under
(Performer: Bob Fryfogle, Others / Writers: Clint Lewis, James Hutchins)
13. Same Old Situation
(Writers: Wayne Kemp, Bill McDonald)
14. Between My House And Town
(Performer: George Jones / Writer: Sanger D. “Whitey” Shafer)

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