The cowboy singer channels the late, great Chris LeDoux on the Bill Withers favorite.
Singer-songwriter Paul Bogart saddled up the classic tune “Ain’t No Sunshine” on his recent CD, Won’t Have Far to Go, which dropped in November. We’re pleased to be premiering the “visualizer” for the song here.
Originally written and recorded by the late Bill Withers, the 1971 Top 40 hit was the breakout song for the singer. “Ain’t No Sunshine” has been covered by a host of artists over the years, including Michael Jackson. But the Nashville-based Bogart is putting his unique brand of emotive authenticity on the evergreen tune.
With the amount of traveling that comes with a music career, the lyrics about missing a faraway loved one must ring especially true for this young married father. With a mellow fiddle highlighting the easy country-rockin’ production, Bogart has put his distinct brand on song, as he does with whatever he’s performing. It’s reminiscent of the late, great Chris LeDoux, with whom he’s often been compared. Just like PRCA champion LeDoux, Bogart, an AQHA world champion team roper, lives the life that goes with the cowboy hat he wears on stage.
While he’s a gifted interpreter of other people’s tunes, Bogart is a gifted songwriter himself. His stellar and memorable compositions include “Cowboy Ride” and “When the Cowboys Are Gone.” LeDoux, also beloved for his original songs, had a knack of making cover recordings of even Bruce Springsteen songs fit his own style like a favorite pair of jeans. Bogart could be doing that as well, and his version of “Ain’t No Sunshine” will certainly be bringing a great song to a new generation of pickup trucks.
Bogart may not only be filling that still-giant void left by LeDoux — he’s also drawing comparisons to George Strait. As one of the few putting the cowboy back in country music, he’s blazing his own trail for a growing number of fans to discover.
For more on Paul Bogart, click here.
