Classic Hit “Pancho and Lefty” Gets New Life with George Strait and Chris Stapleton Performance

George Strait and Chris Stapleton recently breathed new life into the Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard classic “Pancho and Lefty” at one of Strait’s shows, where Stapleton has been opening for him. The two took the stage together on Saturday, June 8, to perform the beloved tune.

“Pancho and Lefty” was released in 1983 as the title track of Nelson and Haggard’s collaborative album, and quickly climbed the country charts. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that year, and that version became a classic. Originally, it was written and recorded by Townes Van Zandt in 1972, then covered by Emmylou Harris in 1976. However, the Nelson and Haggard collab remains one of the most universally loved versions in the hearts of country music fans.

Safe to say, Strait and Stapleton did it justice, if the excited crowd is anything to judge by. Strait began the song alone, before Stapleton wandered out on stage playing guitar around three and a half minutes in. He then took a verse while Strait joined him on the chorus to whoops and cheers from the crowd. For George Strait to honor one of his personal music heroes—Willie Nelson—with this song, and to bring out a great talent like Chris Stapleton, is definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

[RELATED: Chris Stapleton Set to Launch a SiriusXM Channel Featuring Music from His Catalog and Artists He Admires]

Chris Stapleton Made One Recent Grad’s Night at Railbird Festival

Earlier in June, Chris Stapleton performed at the Railbird Festival with a special guest—his wife, Morgane. Performing the song “Think I’m in Love With You” from his recent album Higher, the two took the song to new heights as they breathed love and life into the lyrics.

Previously, Stapleton debuted the song at the ACM Awards with another special guest—Dua Lipa, who surprised country music fans by performing the song beautifully and sharing her admiration of Chris and Morgane Stapleton.

Back at Railbird, though, Chris Stapleton went the extra mile and made a recent graduate’s night. During a pause in the set, a fan asked if Stapleton would sign their diploma. Stapleton asked, seemingly in disbelief, “Did you bring your diploma to a festival?” The fan answered yes, and Stapleton added, “Hell yeah, I’ll sign it. Pass it up here.”

He continued, “I’ve never signed someone’s diploma. I’m going to do this right now,” adding, “That’s too weird man, thank you,” as he signed his name alongside the literal dean of a school. That’s a souvenir that particular fan won’t be selling on eBay any time soon.

Featured Image by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for George Strait