In his previous five performances, we had never seen something like this from then-19-year-old American Idol contestant Caleb Lee Hutchinson during Season 1. We had gotten used to the Georgia-native accompanying himself on guitar, or letting the band do all the work while he showcased his natural baritone country voice.
But for the very first live episode of the season, where the judges are now just commentators and the singers’ fates are left up to America, Hutchinson chose to debut his banjo playing skills.
Performing The Steeldrivers song “Midnight Train to Memphis,” the teenager looked as confident as ever showing off his never before seen skill.
“Midnight Train to Memphis” was written by Chris Stapleton and his Steeldrivers bandmate Mike Henderson. They released the song on their 2008 album, while Stapleton included his solo version on his latest album From A Room: Volume 2.
From Hutchinson’s banjo playing, to his soulful delivery, to his sparkly smile, he completely rocked the performance despite judge Katy Perry thinking he came off nervous and Luke Bryan not loving his song choice.
Watch Hutchinson’s performance below, and let us know what you think of it in the comments!
