Watch Lainey Wilson and Jamey Johnson Unite for “Beer for My Horses” Tribute Cover on ‘Toby Keith: American Icon’

On Wednesday’s airing of Toby Keith: American Icon, some of the biggest names in country music gathered at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The night, One-part tribute, and one-part benefit concert focused on celebrating Keith’s iconic legacy and raising money for his OK Kids Korral. The laundry list of country stars took the stage to perform some of the Big Dog Daddy’s biggest hits. For instance, Lainey Wilson and Jamey Johnson joined forces for “Beer for My Horses.”

Wilson and Johnson gave fans at the arena a duet they didn’t know they needed until they heard it. The “Watermelon Moonshine” singer took the first verse before passing the lead to her partner. Johnson’s booming voice complemented Wilson’s vocal delivery. This was most evident when they came together to belt out the chorus. Watch the fan-shot video of the performance below.

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Lainey Wilson and Jamey Johnson Cover a Toby Keith Classic

It seems that when it came to duets, Toby Keith went for quality over quantity. There aren’t many in his discography, but the few that exist are memorable, to say the least. So, Lainey Wilson and Jamey Johnson had a few killer songs to pick from. “Beer for My Horses” seems like the obvious choice, though.

Keith co-wrote the song with his longtime collaborator Scotty Emerick and released it as the fourth and final single from his 2002 album Unleashed. A duet with country icon Willie Nelson, the song went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and stayed there for six weeks. Additionally, it peaked at No. 22 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart. It was his biggest crossover hit until he released “Red Solo Cup” in 2011 which peaked at No. 15.

In an interview with Songfacts, co-writer Emerick recalled how they got Willie to appear on the song. “We go on his bus and played him ‘Beer for My Horses.’ That’s the first time we ever met him,” Emerick recalled. “We told him we had an idea, we had a song we wanted him to do a duet with him. So we just met him on his bus and hung out all night, and played him songs. He’s so nice. He said, ‘Sure.’ Then it just all fell into place,” he added.

Emerick and Keith wrote “I’ll Never Smoke Weed with Willie Again” after that evening on Nelson’s tour bus.

(Photo by John D Shearer/Shutterstock)