Cody Jinks and Paul Cauthen Take You to 'Luckenbach, Texas' with Waylon Jennings Cover

Waylon Jennings may have never been to Luckenbach, Texas, but his hit song about the town traveled to the top of the charts when Jennings dropped it more than 40 years ago. Now, two Lone Star State stars are honoring Jennings with a cover of the No. 1 jam that is sure to comfort many a country fan during long trips to Luckenbach and beyond.

Cody Jinks and Paul Cauthen reteamed to record a cover of Jennings’ “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” as part of Amazon Music’s forthcoming “Open Road” playlist. Jinks and Cauthen previously joined forces to transform the grunge anthem “Black Hole Sun” into a country tune that would’ve made Jennings proud, and the two musicians are part of the large haul of artists recruited for the all-covers Amazon playlist.


Other “Open Road” acts include Joshua Radin, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and White Reaper. Simon and Garfunkel, Talking Heads and Rihanna all get the cover treatment as artists from across the country — and across the genre spectrum — put their own spins on hit songs like “Road to Nowhere” and “Highway Star.” Amazon’s goal was to offer the perfect road trip soundtrack, and while some of the artists stray pretty far from the source material, Jinks and Cauthen keep it traditional with their take on “Luckenbach.”

Cauthen tries to attain the same level of baritone mastery as Jennings, and Jinks complements him with a soulful rendition of the song’s second verse. For the grand finale, Nik Lee of The Texas Gentlemen joins the duo. Together, this holy triumvirate of Texas country does Waylon justice and crafts a stirring rendition of “Luckenbach” that’s fit for a road trip or a leisurely listen.

Watch it above, and then catch Jinks at 7 p.m. tonight at the Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

The entire “Open Road” playlist is available for streaming, and you can also hear Lee when The Texas Gentlemen drop their deput LP TX Jelly on Sept. 15 at the Kessler Theater.