For its Saturday night (Aug. 6) gig at Fox & Locke in Leiper's Fork, Tenn., Tom Petty tribute band The Heartshakers found the right Stevie Nicks for a cover of her Top 5 hit duet with Petty, 1981's "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around."
Carrie Underwood happened to be in the house at the Nashville-area bar with some friends, and she answered the call when invited on stage. As you might expect, Underwood knocked a classic rock radio standard out of the park while sharing the spotlight with a tight musical unit.
The venue posted footage the following day that captures the power of the surprise collaboration and the reaction of an audience that didn't expect such a high-profile cameo at a local establishment.
Facebook user Steve Barone shared a lengthier video that includes pre-song banter.
This wasn't a run-of-the-mill bar band with a one-off brush with a celebrity. After all, most everyone making a living off music around Nashville is an elite talent, and per its website, The Heartshakers' members have worked before with LeAnn Rimes, Amy Grant, Peter Cetera, Little Big Town, SheDaisy, Ronnie Milsap and Underwood.
Underwood doesn't hit the road again (aside from a one-off in Iowa on Aug. 21) until her 2022-'23 Denim and Rhinestones Tour launches in October. From the sound of things, she's beyond ready to command a stage near you.
Petty and bandmate Mike Campbell wrote "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" for The Heartbreakers. It instead became a Nicks duet that appeared on her debut solo album, 1981's Bella Donna. Country and Americana fans might recognize Campbell's name because of his more recent work with Chris Stapleton and Marty Stuart.
In other Underwood news, she'll return for a 10th season as the singer of NBC's Sunday Night Football opening theme.
