50-Year-Old Country Legend Joins 20-Year-Old ‘Idol’ Contestant For A Soulful Country Duet
Darius Rucker and Caleb Hutchinson performed Old Crow Medicine Show’s hit song, “Wagon Wheel” in front judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on American Idol.
“Wagon Wheel” is a song co-written by Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show. Dylan recorded the chorus in 1973; Secor added verses 25 years later. Old Crow Medicine Show’s final version was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in April 2013.
The song describes a hitchhiking journey south along the eastern coast of the United States, from New England in the northeast, through Roanoke, Virginia, with the intended destination of Raleigh, North Carolina, where the narrator hopes to see his girl. As the narrator is walking south of Roanoke, he catches a ride with a trucker who is traveling from Philadelphia through Virginia westward toward the Cumberland Gap and Johnson City, Tennessee.
Darius Rucker’s 2013 cover became the #1 song on Hot Country radio and reached No one on the Country Airplay chart in May 2013 and crossed over to 15 on the pop charts on its way to triple-platinum certification.
For the Idol rendition of Wagon Wheel, the pair are dressed plainly to highlight the rustic country charm of the lyrics. Hutchinson is wearing a camouflage jacket with a t-shirt under it and is playing the banjo while Rucker has on a classic green button-down shirt with blue jeans and is playing the guitar.
Hutchinson’s voice seems much older than his actual age of just 20 years old. Rucker is impressive at 52. The two make a great pair, and the audience loves them as well as the song that they are performing. This duet sounded terrific with the big band and backup singers behind them. The audience was seen clapping along with the song as Rucker and Hutchinson performed.
The camera pans to the judges, Perry, Bryan, and Richie, who are completely enveloped in the rhythm, dancing at times. Then the cameras pan to Caleb Hutchinson’s parents and they are clapping and smiling – they are so incredibly proud of their son, it shows. The smiles on their faces are priceless!
The violinist in this show was terrific, and you could hear his contribution to the sound throughout the entire performance. In the end, everyone was on their feet for a standing ovation. This is what real country soulfulness sounds like. Their voices mesh incredibly well together. Such an unforgettable performance!
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