Zach Top and Brandon Coleman of the Red Clay Strays cover George Jones (Taylor Hendrix / YouTube)

Two of country music’s fastest rising artists – Zach Top and Brandon Coleman of the Red Clay Strays – joined forces to pay homage to a country music legend.

Fans at the Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Beach, Alabama, were in for a special treat during Zach Top’s headlining show earlier this month. The Washington native is currently on the road for the extension of his Cold Beer & Country Music tour. Mid-set on June 10th, Top was joined on stage by Brandon Coleman, the frontman of the Red Clay Strays.

The two artists have collaborated in the past. They surprised the crowd at Georgia Rodeo last April with a rendition of Waylon Jennings’ “Where The Corn Don’t Grow” from 1990. Just over a year later, the pair reunited to perform the same duet during the Red Clay Strays album release party in Nashville in May.

Both artists have shown an affinity for classic country music, and on this occasion, they paid homage to one of the greatest voices in the history of the genre – George Jones. The pair delivered a show-stopping duet of “Bartender’s Blues.”

Some fans may be surprised to learn that Jones’ version of “Bartender’s Blues” was actually a cover. The song was originally recorded by legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor in 1977. It appeared as the B-side to “Handy Man,” the lead single from his album JT.

While Taylor’s recording saw modest chart success, it peaked at No. 88. The following year, George Jones brought the song to a wider audience when he released it as the title track and lead single from his 1978 album Bartender’s Blues. His rendition became a major country hit, climbing to No. 6 on the charts and helping cement the song’s legacy.

Unsurprisingly, Top and Coleman did the song justice, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

Watch Zach Top and Brandon Coleman of the Red Clay Strays sing “Bartender’s Blues” in the video below!