Curious Historian

By Daniel Walker | April 17, 2024

Songwriting session

The song "Tennessee Whiskey" was written when Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove's collaborated. It began when they met at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe, where Hargrove was known as the "blue jean country queen." 
 

After a late-night songwriting session, they created a song that would go on to have a lasting impact. 
 

Country legends

This song, "Tennessee Whiskey," was recorded by country legends David Allan Coe, George Jones, and Chris Stapleton, although it was declined by a fourth artist.
 

Dean Dillon's impressive career

Dean Dillon's impressive career includes George Strait recording over 60 of his songs. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2020, Dillon's songwriting talents have been recognized by artists like Alabama, Kenny Chesney, and Brooks & Dunn, among others. 
 

Hall of Fame

In addition to writing for various artists, Dillon has also released his own albums. His contributions to country music led to his induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.
 

George Strait

George Strait: Dillon wrote or co-wrote six of the 10 songs on George Strait’s debut album Strait Country. Dillon gave Strait the first chance to record the song, but he passed on “Tennessee Whiskey.” Dillon told Rolling Stone magazine, “It was no big deal. Shoot, I was playing him about 20 songs. It was just one more he passed on. I never held it against him.” Nevertheless, the song was going to get picked up many times over.
 

David Allan Coe

David Allan Coe: Billy Sherrill produced the album Tennessee Whiskey for David Allan Coe in 1981 as the Outlaw Country movement was falling from favor. The title track reached No. 77 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. In 1974, Coe tasted success as an artist with “You Never Even Called Me by My Name,” and in 1977 as a writer when Johnny Paycheck took “Take This Job and Shove It” to the top of the country chart. In 1984, Coe sang “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile” and took it to No. 2.
 

George Jones

George Jones: Sherrill was also producing George Jones. After the wave of success started with “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” Jones recorded “Tennessee Whiskey” and took it to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Frank Sinatra would famously call Jones “the second-best singer in America.” Jones’ voice was in top form during this part of his career. Shine On peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
 

Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton: In Charlottesville, Virginia, during a soundcheck, Stapleton and his band played “Tennessee Whiskey” and decided to add it to their set. In February, Stapleton told Rolling Stone magazine, “It was a song we did as a cover. It was, ‘Well, let’s just play that tonight.'”
 

Traveller

When it came time to record the album Traveller, Stapleton pulled it out again. “We were just goofing around, playing it to warm up, and [engineer] Vance [Powell] hit the red light,” he says. “And that’s what you hear.” They borrowed the melody from “I’d Rather Go Blind” by Etta James, but it didn’t receive much notice—that is until Justin Timberlake joined Stapleton to perform it at the 2015 CMA Awards. People took notice in a big way. The song topped the country charts and went on to sell six times Platinum.
 

Other Versions

Other Versions: In 2023, rapper T-Pain heard Stapleton’s version at a karaoke party and added it to his “sad playlist.” He said, “The lyrics spoke to me.” T-Pain recorded his own version of the song using his signature auto-tune. It went viral on TikTok and Instagram. Cas Haley, Teddy Swims, Keala Settle, Harry Dean Stanton, and Carin León each have also covered the song.
 

On Top of the Covers

T-Pain says he considered incorporating “Tennessee Whiskey” into one of his songs: “I was initially looking it up to sample it to turn into a new song, but it was just too great to mess with.” Instead, he cut a faithful version for the 2023 album On Top of the Covers. Stapleton reacted to T-Pain’s version: “I was like, ‘Wow, man, he can really, really throw down.'”
 

Basic structure and melody

Dillon thinks the song’s basic structure and melody stand on their own: “It’s a really simple song. It’s just saying, ‘You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey.’ It’s not ‘Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.’ I saw a guy and his daughter in their car on YouTube, and he’s driving her to school, and the song comes on the radio, and he’s singing on top of it. He did a fantastic version. They ought to put that out, too.”
 

Real nice position

Dillon is thankful for the long life the song has experienced. “I was good for retirement, but that song’s put me in a real nice position,” he said. “I’d still send a song to George [Strait]. But I’ll take a Chris Stapleton cut any day of the week.”

ncG1vNJzZmibpae2sMHSoaCsrJ%2BntqK6jZympmeknbJuv9OoqbJlkpq1qrrDZquepp6awLSxxGauoaGjoLK6eZJmmqitnqm%2FunnInKanq12stbB50Z6aqKqUmrFutdM%3D