Parker McCollum‘s self-titled fifth studio album is out now, featuring his hit, “What Kinda Man,” a dozen tunes he co-wrote, one outside cut and one notable cover: Danny O’Keefe‘s “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues.”
The 1972 track would be the singer/songwriter’s biggest hit, making it to the top 10 on the pop chart. Waylon Jennings, Conway Twitty and Willie Nelson would all go on to record memorable versions, but Parker wanted to hear Cody Johnson sing it.
“‘Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues’ is one of my favorite songs ever,” Parker says. “I love Danny O’Keefe, I used to listen to that song real, real late nights back in what we call the van days before we had tour buses.”
“It’s a song that’s always stuck with me,” he continues, “and for several years now I’ve always wanted to hear Cody Johnson sing that song. I think he’s such an incredible vocalist and I love his voice. I think it’s so unique and it’s authentic to him.”
Even though Parker and Cody are both among country’s biggest stars, he was still a little unsure about approaching his fellow Texan.
“I was actually pretty nervous,” Parker admits. “I texted him one day when I was driving back home to Houston, and I just said, screw it, I’m gonna text him and ask him if he’ll sing on the song with me.”
“And man, he shot right back and said he’d love to do it.”
Friday night, Parker plays Wilmington, North Carolina, before moving on to Macon, Georgia, on Saturday.
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