Joe Nichols’ ‘Ten Feet Away’ Cover Is ‘Not the Obvious Keith Whitley Song’
Joe Nichols has covered a Keith Whitley classic as part of his ongoing series of traditional country song covers, and he takes pride in the fact that he dug deep into the late country legend's catalog.
"Ten Feet Away" originally appeared on Whitley's first full-length solo album, L.A. to Miami, in 1985. Released as the album's third single in June of 1986, it reached No. 9 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, but it's not a song that continues to earn much exposure today.
That's part of why Nichols chose it, because it's "not the obvious Keith Whitley song," he says in the clip above, which is premiering exclusively with Taste of Country. "I wanted to do something that I remember dancing to when I could go to a little bar on a Sunday that they let teenagers into."
It's a song Nichols says really represents that era of country music in his mind. "I used to jam to this all the time in my little Chevy Cavalier," he recalls with a laugh. The song features Nichols showing off the higher part of his range that his own recordings don't always emphasize.
"Vocally, it's a very challenging song, and I wanted to tackle something that was hard," he says.
"Ten Feet Away" is the newest installment in a series of classic covers Nichols is releasing monthly titled Never Gets Old: Traditional Country Series. He kicked off in March with a cover of Don Williams' "Good Ole Boys Like Me," and he's also covered the Charley Pride classic "The Rose Is for Today," as well as Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home" and Ronnie Milsap's "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me."
He's releasing a new track in the series on the first Friday of every month. "Ten Feet Away" is now available for streaming and download via major digital platforms.
Nichols also recently released a new original single, "Billy Graham's Bible," from his most recent album, Never Gets Old.
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