A video from 13 years ago shows Zach Top performing some bluegrass, and it really shows how deep his talent runs.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Whiskeyriff dragged up a very old YouTube video, titled "Zach Top sings Muleskinner Blues at twelve years old." Allegedly, this video is of the Zach Top we know and love today. Although the video itself is over a decade old and has under 4,000 views, it does seem like this is our Washington native.
The video shows 12-year-old Zach Top singing "Mule Skinner Blues," the Jimmy Rodgers classic that's also been recorded by the likes of Dolly Parton, Roy Acuff, and others.
The description reads that Zach Top was performing at the Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival. Considering his history of playing with his siblings at different bluegrass festivals, this video may be legit.
Please excuse my skepticism, but you can't trust everything you see on the internet. Also, it's entirely possible that the kid in the 13-year-old video is also named Zach Top and happened to perform at bluegrass festivals. You never know.
Although it's not been officially confirmed or endorsed, I think we can accept the risk here. It is weird seeing a historical Top video with so little love, but maybe we can change that.
You can watch Zach Top at 12 years old performing brilliantly below.
Zach Top Demonstrates Amazing Vocals And Guitar Work At Such A Young Age
Although everyone in the video was pretty amazing, Zach Top did blow me away a little. His guitar ability was strikingly good, which is funny knowing that he initially started playing the piano.
In an interview with Billboard, Zach Top explained that his parents really tried to get him into piano, but he hated it. "I kicked and screamed through... shoot, seven or eight years it must've been of piano lessons, and [his parents] finally gave up on that, I guess," he said.
When he finally got hold of a guitar, however, he soared. It's crazy to see him so good at the guitar considering how many years he spent tickling the ivories.
