The tradition of country artists dabbling in Gospel and Christian music is longstanding — legends like Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, Alan Jackson and plenty more all put out country gospel songs, and even albums, throughout their illustrious careers.

Many of them grew up singing in church, and so I think it’s safe to assume that the strong connection of hymns and music from their childhood made a lasting impression. Even more recently, Brent Cobb, Carrie Underwood and even Willie Nelson have put out some great country gospel music. But it’s definitely far less prominent than it used to be, and I think there’s a lot of reasons for that.

Firstly, it’s just less likely that a rendition of an old hymn is going to go viral on TikTok… it’s absolutely ridiculous that’s the standard, but unfortunately, it is what it is and that plays a big part. We could have a much longer, more nuanced discussion about all the other factors, but the real reason you’re probably here is to hear about Ernest’s desire to make a Gospel album.

He shared a video of an older clip of he and Morgan Wallen singing the hymn “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus,” which was originally written in composed in 1882 by William J. Kirkpatrick and Louisa M. R. Stead. It’s an old classic, found in hymnal books in churches across the world that has been recorded by many artists over the years, so it probably sounds very familiar to many of you.

In that video of them, Ernest captioned it by saying he “might make a gospel album,” adding that “we need it”:

“Might make a gospel album. We need it.”

I second that wholeheartedly, and if it ever happens, their harmonies are perfect for a song like this, and Morgan’s voice is just made for this type of music, even though it’s a far cry from the kind of songs he puts out these days:

Morgan previously shared the video on his own Instagram feed a couple years ago, saying:

“Still ain’t forgot ’em.”

Morgan actually grew up singing in church from the time he was three-years old, at the church his father pastored, so he is clearly one of those artists who, like so many in the country tradition, was first really exposed to music through church.

During a recent video with Tom Brady for his Last Week video series, Morgan revealed that he actually got offered a Southern Gospel record deal when he was just seven years old:

“I started singing in church when I was three years old. My dad was a pastor, so my mom just recognized early on that I had a love for it,” he said. “So she had me singing when I was three, then when I was five I wanted a violin for Christmas, and then I started learning it. I mean, hell, I was offered a Southern Gospel record contract when I was seven years old.”

So I guess he’s always sounded great doing this style of music.

His country twang just adds so much warmth to a hymn like that, and I think it’s nostalgic for so many people that you can’t help but feel something when you hear it. I don’t know if Ernest is serious about it, but I think a gospel project like what he’s hinting at would actually be incredible, and would probably do way better than what their record label might think or say.

If Morgan even seriously considered doing a gospel album himself, I think it would be amazing, and one day down the road it might be a real possibility because it was such a big part of shaping his early love for music.

I’m The Problem Tour Dates:

Aug 22 // Gillette Stadium // Foxborough, MA w/ Corey Kent and Miranda Lambert

Aug 23 // Gillette Stadium // Foxborough, MA w/ Corey Kent and Miranda Lambert

Sep 4 // Rogers Centre // Toronto, ON w/ Gavin Adcock and Miranda Lambert

Sep 5 // Rogers Centre // Toronto, ON w/ Gavin Adcock and Brooks & Dunn

Sep 12 // Commonwealth Stadium // Edmonton, AB w/ Ella Langley and Miranda Lambert

Sep 13 // Commonwealth Stadium // Edmonton, AB w/ Ella Langley and Brooks & Dunn