Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton Release New Bluegrass/Metal Tribute
Bluegrass (#520) and Heavy Metal (#n/a) on the Country DDS. AI = Clean
It’s not hard to imagine anything that bluegrass maestros Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton touch would turn to gold. Back in 2024 they played an intimate show together at the American Legion Post 82 in Nashville, which they made into a killer live album released in April 2025 called Live At The Legion.
But let’s be honest. When the premise for this song first hits you, you’re probably a little skeptical—not because we shouldn’t trust these two, but just because “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” has be done, redone, refried, transmogrified, rode hard and put away wet so many times it seems plausibly impossible to to do something with it that in any way comes across as novel or remotely interesting.
Oh, so Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton are going to do a new version of the song called “The Devil Went Down To Deep Gap” swapping a golden guitar for the devil’s golden fiddle that’s going to blow so much air up our skirts we’re going to forget we’ve heard this tune two hundred thousand million times?
Well, that’s kind of exactly what they did.
“The Devil Went Down To Deep Gap” isn’t just a remake and tribute to the late great Charlie Daniels. It’s really a [*SPOILER*] tribute to Doc Watson … and Del McCoury, and a crash course bluegrass history lesson [*SPOILER*] … and a bluegrass metal fusion song … and, and, and some other interesting, entertaining and informative things. Lot’s of layers to this onion to peel off.
You start the song of thinking, “Okay, this will be cute.” But almost like the pinnacle line in David Allan Coe’s “The Ride,” the adrenaline starts pumping when everything starts to be revealed. And what really helps tie everything together is the animated video—which by the way, more artists should splurge for as opposed to the sappy, acted out videos barely anyone pays attention to anyway.
Also hats off to Sam Bush on mandolin, T. Michael Coleman on bass, and Jerry Roe on drums. And yes, that is Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton ripping into the devil’s heavy metal parts, showing off the pair’s range when it comes to pickin’ and shreddin’.
Not saying this guarantee’s the pair a Grammy award or anything. But in a moment when the world is looking for a distraction from world-shaking events, “The Devil Went Down To Deep Gap” will more than do.
Two Devil Horns up!
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January 9, 2026 @ 1:03 pm
Amazing!
January 9, 2026 @ 1:12 pm
Lol awesome
Now THAT definitely deserved an article
January 9, 2026 @ 2:02 pm
That was an amazing way to drive into work. Had no idea what I was getting into. That’s the way to redo/reimagine a classic that I’ll go back frequently. Question, why is Jerry reed thanked in the video? I love Jerry, I’m sure hes a big influence you reckon that’s why.
January 9, 2026 @ 6:43 pm
I believe Jerry Roe is Jerry Reed’s grandson.
January 10, 2026 @ 9:31 am
As far as I’m concerned, folks should be thanking Jerry Reed more, even if he has nothing to do with whatever they’re doing.
However, I did discover that Jerry Reed did a version of “Devil Went Down To Georgia” swapping out a guitar for the fiddle just like Billy and Bryan do here. So even though they couldn’t really give him a songwriting credit, my guess is that’s why they thanked Jerry too. Yet another layer of the onion to peel off through this song.
January 10, 2026 @ 3:33 pm
Most underrated guitar player of all time. Man was incredible but all these greatest guitar player lists he’s never there. Him and Roy Clark deserve more recognition
January 9, 2026 @ 3:13 pm
This is a power move directed at Sturgill Simpson.
January 9, 2026 @ 4:43 pm
Now that was pretty goddamned entertaining right there.
January 9, 2026 @ 6:43 pm
Very enjoyable! A nice update to a classic song.
January 9, 2026 @ 7:43 pm
Delightful.
January 9, 2026 @ 9:16 pm
BMFS icon. He plays with the best in the world. If you are playing with the best, have to be pretty damn good.What a career path he is on. A one of one. So talented. Glad to see him and Bryan together. They have been putting on some amazing shows. There are some great full shows on YouTube.
January 9, 2026 @ 10:24 pm
This is KILLER
January 9, 2026 @ 11:15 pm
This kicks all sorts of ass.
More often than not I’ve grown bored with various renditions of this untouchable classic and typically find them pedestrian, inessential listening. This one legit stands on its own as a beyond worthy addition. =)
January 9, 2026 @ 11:20 pm
P.S.: Give the music video animation drawing crew an award already. =)
January 9, 2026 @ 11:23 pm
Forget Jeremey Pinnell, THIS RIPS
January 10, 2026 @ 1:43 am
Thanks for sharing this with us, really enjoyed it and thought the Devil’s solo kicked ass.
January 10, 2026 @ 6:21 am
They should have gotten Doors guitarist Robby Krieger on this release.Krieger,who was 80 Thursday,Jan.8,was born exactly 11 years after Elvis.
January 10, 2026 @ 7:11 am
Nice first step. Next step should be a remake of a Misfits classic. Perhaps “Bullet.” Anyway, now I feel the need to listen to Trampled’s “Wait So Long.”
January 10, 2026 @ 10:36 am
That was fantastic! So good to see Doc Watson getting some love in the 21st century ❤️
January 10, 2026 @ 5:31 pm
R.i.p bob wier a true music man 💔
January 11, 2026 @ 5:50 am
impossible not to think at Tenacious D’s “pick of destiny”
January 11, 2026 @ 5:34 pm
This is a case where the video really compliments the soundtrack. It seems to me there are a lot of easter eggs to discover while listening to the music. This should put a smile on anyone’s face.
January 11, 2026 @ 7:35 pm
This animator knocked it out of the park. Whoever it is he’s in the comments of the YouTube video (and in the credits at the end). Amazing unbelievable stuff.
I love the random tubular bells that the devil’s playing at the beginning of his sequence. Nice prog rock reference I think
January 12, 2026 @ 3:24 pm
That’s the devil’s interval, or tritone. It’s a reference to Black Sabbath and the root of all heavy metal.
January 12, 2026 @ 3:49 pm
OMG I didn’t even notice the tritone. I was thinking about Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, whch kind of eventually spawned New Age music but was part of the prog rock canon that slightly influenced metal a little bit sorta. I’ve seen some videos of him playing it live where he’s wacking the bells station with a hammer and that was what this bit reminded me of.
January 12, 2026 @ 3:51 pm
I never made the connetion that those chimes are the same instrument that made the Black Sabbath bells
January 13, 2026 @ 7:16 am
It’s good to see the name T. Michael Coleman in print again. Saw him on stage at the old Birchmere a few times back in his Seldom Scene and Chesapeake days. One glorious night in early ’90s was a double billing of the Scene and Doc Watson. When Doc played, he was backed by T Michael on bass and I think Jack Lawrence on second guitar. That was when I first became aware that T Michael had a musical relationship with Doc. And looking at his album credits on his wiki page, it looks like that continued until at least the early 2000’s.