Watch Zach Top Sing “1982” for Randy Travis During His Show at Billy Bob’s Texas

Zach Top is one of a few new artists who is reviving the traditional country sound. His original music sounds like it could have been a hit in the mid-’90s alongside tracks from Alan Jackson, Keith Whitley, Randy Travis, and other luminaries of the era. Top also shows respect for classic country with the covers that he plays both online and during his shows.

Last Friday (October 11), Top played at the legendary Billy Bob’s Texas in Forth Worth. While working through a set of original songs, he pulled out a Randy Travis classic. This time, though, the cover song he played was a little more special. He sang “1982” while Travis sat on the stage and cheered him on. Watch two generations of great country music come together in the video below.

[RELATED: Exclusive: Zach Top Discusses ‘Cold Beer and Country Music,’ His Timeless Sound, Songwriting, and More]

@jesdawson7

Zach Top singing to Randy Travis at Billy Bobs! #billybobstexas #zachtop #randytravis #fortworth

♬ original sound – JesDawson

Zach Top Covers a Randy Travis Classic

Zach Top picked a killer song to sing with Randy Travis onstage. Written by Buddy Blackmon and Vip Vipperman, Travis released “1982” as the second single from his debut album Storms of Life in December 1985. The song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

“1982” was technically Travis’ fourth single. He released two songs—“She’s My Woman” and “I’ll Take Any Willing Woman”—under his birth name, Randy Traywick, in 1978. It was also his first hit song. “She’s My Woman” peaked at No. 91 and his second single as Traywick failed to chart. Then, “On the Other Hand,” the lead single from Storms of Life peaked at No. 67.

Interestingly, Travis would re-release “On the Other Hand” as the third single from the album. The second time around, it became his first No. 1 single.

Top’s Country Sound

While it sounds like Zach Top is trying to revive ‘90s country, that’s not really the case. In an interview with American Songwriter earlier this year, he explained how he found his sound.

“I wouldn’t say I decided to go with a ‘90s sound,” Top said. “That’s the stuff that made me fall in love with country music. Beyond that, all those guys I loved in the ‘90s, I tried to go back and find their influences. Those guys were listening to Haggard and Jones and Lefty Frizzell, Ernest Tubb, Ray Price, and stuff like that when they were coming up. So, I tried to go back to that stuff and get what I could out of there,” he explained.

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