Ernest is filling some pretty big shoes in country music, and doing it quite well. The singer-songwriter recently posted a cover of him singing Kris Kristofferson's iconic "Help Me Make It Through The Night,' earning high praise from many of his more than 540,000 followers.
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"Is this George Jones or Ern??" one follower asks.
"If you're putting together a country classics album... I'm all in," says another. "Your live performances of 'He Stopped Loving Her Today' and 'Yesterday's Wine' are a must."
Ernest captioned the song with just the eyes emoji, hinting that something else is likely coming soon.
The 33-year-old is very outspoken about his love of traditional country music. During a recent performance at the Grand Ole Opry, he performed Merle Haggard's "Yesterday's Wine" with Jake Worthington.
Ernest also dropped the original "I Went to College / I Went to Jail," a collaboration with Jelly Roll, last year. The 33-year-old has a new single at radio, "Would If I Could." The song is from his latest album, Nashville, Tennessee, released in April.
"Would If I Could"
Veteran tunesmith Skip Ewing wrote "Would If I Could," which features Lainey Wilson in one version of the track.
"I'm always honored when an artist chooses to record a song that I've written," Ewing tells Wide Open Country. "Laney and Ernest are both kind of ambassadors for country music right now, and I like them both.
"I think Lainey is fantastic, and they both sing really well," he adds. "Ernest writes really well. Lainey writes really well, so for them to choose to record one of my songs... what a compliment and an honor."
Kristofferson passed away on September 28, 2024. "Help Me Make It Through The Night" was released in 1970, on Kristofferson's debut album. The song was reportedly inspired during one of the darkest times in Kristofferson's life. Broke, and living with Dottie West and her husband Bill, Frank Sinatra answered a question for Esquire magazine, which inspired the song.
The reporter asked Sinatra about his beliefs. He said he turns to, "booze, broads or a Bible...whatever helps me make it through the night." Kristofferson penned "Help Me Make It Through The Night," which earned him his first-ever Grammy Award.
