Tyler Childers Plays “Jersey Giant” Solo For First Time in Years

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It seems strange to think that a song that Tyler Childers never even really properly recorded or released would go on to become an American country music standard, and one of the most beloved from his catalog. But such is the fate for Tyler’s song “Jersey Giant,” which despite the lack of a proper studio release from Childers himself, has become a certified hit for many others.

Much was made when Elle King first recorded and released the song in early November of 2022 after receiving Tyler’s blessing. If Tyler Childers wasn’t going to release a proper studio version of the song, somebody should. And no matter what one might think of Elle King, it’s hard to say she didn’t do “Jersey Giant” justice. But that was just the start of the song’s legacy.

Singer/Songwriter Evan Honer from Surprise, Arizona took his rendition of “Jersey Giant” and made a career out of it. After his version of the song went megaviral, he was signed to Atlantic Records. Honer’s “Jersey Giant” version with Julia DiGrazia released on December 16th, 2022 now has 132 million streams on Spotify alone. It’s likely to be Certified Gold by the RIAA here soon.

But it doesn’t stop there. Dozens of other versions of the song exist out there, including many that have received millions of streams. When Sam Barber covered the song on his 2024 album Restless Mind, it almost felt like he was being a bandwagoner. Of course, it’s one of the most popular tracks on the album.

“Jersey Giant” was written by Tyler Childers about a dozen years ago. And though he never did a proper recording or release of the song, he did upload a scratch track version for free onto SoundCloud, which is were a lot of the folks that have covered it probably found it first. Though he mind have performed it at a bar or show somewhere before his career blew up, there’s no recording of any such moment.

But lo and behold, Tyler Childers fans were shocked to learn that on Saturday night (4/19) at Kroger Field in Lexington, KY, he performed the song for the first time live solo. Fans were elated to finally hear Tyler Childers do a song that so many have helped make famous.


“Jersey Giant” is a unique composition for Childers since it features a bridge within the verse/chorus structure. According to Tyler, he was tired of the song shortly after he wrote it. Since it references a woman that is not his sweet Lady May (Senora May), it just may not fit as something Childers wanted to sing about in the present day.

Childers did sing “Jersey Giant” with Elle King in Kentucky on February 19, 2023, but this was the first time Childers sang it solo with his backing band The Foodstamps. Interestingly, he played electric guitar on the track, which is rare for Childers. It looks perhaps like a Fender Mustang he picked up for his “Jersey Giant” rendition. The song came about midway in the set list.

Can more live audiences expect to see Childers perform “Jersey Giant?” We’ll have to wait and see.

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