Indiana-born, Nashville-based rising star Stephen Wilson Jr.released a gripping interpretation of Ben E. King‘s “Stand By Me” that offers a new take on the 60+ year old classic about enduring love. Originally released as a live performance as part of the Live At The Print Shopseries, the video immediately went viral garnering over 1,000,000 views on YouTube and 18 million+ views across social media.
About the cover, Wilson Jr. shares, “’Stand By Me’ was the song that brought my dad back, if only for a few. It’s the song that started this journey and it was that song that made it all clear what I was supposed to be doing with my time from that moment on.”
The release of “Stand By Me” (Live At The Print Shop) follows Stephen Wilson Jr.’s duet version of “Father’s Søn” with HARDY that was released in September to celebrate the one year anniversary of his debut double album søn of dad. Rolling Stone proclaimed, “It’s a stripped-down but powerful version, with Wilson and Hardy playing acoustic guitars and trading verses. Wilson’s reading of the song is as sturdy and haunting as ever, but Hardy’s naked vocals are a revelation, especially to fans who may only know him for his screamo brand of country.”
In 2024, Wilson Jr.’s career skyrocketed with his late night television debut on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers with a raucous performance of his viral hit “Cuckoo,” followed by performances of “Year To Be Young 1994” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s #LateShowMeMusic series and Later… with Jools Holland. This fall, CBS News’ Jeff Glor traveled to Nashville for Wilson Jr.’s first major television interview, which was followed by a performance of three songs on CBS Saturday Morning.
Wilson Jr. is currently in the midst of a victory lap fall headline tour that will make stops in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Nashville and more before the søn of dad tour continues in 2025 with shows in Pittsburgh, Detroit, Toronto and many more. Find a full list of tour dates below and at stephenwilsonjr.com.
