Watch Willie Nelson’s Son Honor One of His Biggest Inspirations With an Uncanny Eric Clapton Cover

Lukas Nelson has proved over the last few months that he’s a super underrated musician. And nepotism isn’t a factor this time. The son of country music star Willie Nelson has been touring extensively with his father and family members over the last few weeks. He’s also been delivering incredible sets consistently since the Outlaw Music Festival Tour launched.

Video footage recently resurfaced of a set Lukas Nelson played a few years back, in which he talked to the audience about his early influences before diving into a stellar cover of Eric Clapton.

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In the clip, Nelson noted that his father was the very first to inspire him as a musician. However, he also got into the blues as a child. Notably, he got really into Eric Clapton.

“I got to meet him [Clapton] one time,” Nelson said in the clip. “And I was so inspired and scared, I didn’t know what to say. I just ran and I gave him a hug, I must have been 10 years old and I think he had a cold, but he hugged me back. And right around that time he came out with his record, it’s an ‘Unplugged’ record he did. So thought that this would be a good one.”

Lukas Nelson’s Cover of “Before You Accuse Me” by Eric Clapton Is an Arresting and Stellar Rendition

From there, Nelson dove into an acoustic rendition of Clapton’s “Before You Accuse Me” from his 1992 MTV Unplugged album. Nelson’s version is actually a cover of a cover. The original song was written and recorded by Bo Diddley in 1957. A number of artists have covered the bluesy classic, from Eric Clapton to Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Nelson’s version, though, is uncanny in the sense that he sounds so similar to Clapton. He’s always sounded a little bit like his father when he sings, and his voice on this cover seems to blend two iconic voices together into something new and uniquely Lukas Nelson.

[See Lukas Nelson Live On Tour]

Fans in the TikTok clip were catching feels over the cover, too.

“Super cover of a cover,” said one fan in the comments.

“Dare I say he might have a better voice than dad?????” said another.

Lukas Nelson isn’t unloved in the music world, but he is sorely underrated. His ability to take on country, rock, bluegrass, and even blues with a unique flair is more than enough evidence of his talents. We can’t wait to see what he does next!

Photo by Danielle Del Valle

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