Back in 2006, former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth recorded bluegrass versions of the band's hit singles Jump and Jamie's Cryin' for the tribute album Strummin' with the Devil: The Southern Side of Van Halen. He even went on TV to perform the former, whoopin' and a-hollerin' his way through the song accompanied by a backing band of banjo and fiddle players.
Despite Roth's obvious enthusiasm, the recording did not set the world on fire. But perhaps now is the time for such a blasphemous hybrid to succeed, and mashup maestro Bill McClintock might be the man to provide it. He's matched Roth's original vocal from Jump to an instrumental version of country legend Hank Williams' 1952 hit Your Cheatin' Heart, and its obvious brilliance means it's the kind of musical meddling that might actually make your day. Or ruin it. It's difficult to tell.
To confound reality further, McClintock has combined visuals of Roth singing Jump with footage of Hank Williams Jr (son of the original) performing Your Cheatin' Heart, creating the kind of cross-generational chaos that's almost certain to bamboozle Nashville purists.
If you’re unfamiliar with McClintock’s startling back catalogue, head over to his YouTube channel, where you'll find plenty of other examples of his sonic alchemy, including Slipknot vs The Spice Girls, Van Halen vs Stevie Wonder, Megadeth vs The Jackson 5, Motley Crue vs Motown, Metallica vs Huey Lewis, Aretha Franklin vs Aerosmith and many, many more.
