Bryce Leatherwood and his coach Blake Shelton teamed up for a performance of a Shelton hit during the season 22 finale of NBC’s The Voice.
On Tuesday (Dec. 13), the standout contestant and country superstar joined forces to perform the “Hillbilly Bone,” a duet that originally features Shelton and Trace Adkins.
“I get to do a duet with Blake for the finale and we’re singing ‘Hillbilly Bone’ by the one and the only, Mr. Blake Shelton,” Leatherwood said prior to their performance.
Joined by a backing band and several dancers, Leatherwood and Shelton traded verses to the chart-topping country hit and at times flawlessly blended their vocals.
“We all got a hillbilly bone down deep inside / No matter where you from you just can’t hide it / And when the band starts banging and the fiddle saws / You can’t help but a hollerin’, Yee Haw! / When you see them pretty little country queens / Man you got to admit that’s in them genes / Aren’t nothing wrong, just gettin’ on your / Hillbilly bone-ba-bone-ba-bone-bone,” Leatherwood and Shelton sang in perfect sync on the tune’s chorus.
“I always wanted to sing a bone song with Bryce on NBC,” Shelton shouted during their duet. Leatherwood added, “I’ve always wanted to sing a song with Blake Shelton!”
Ahead of their performance, Shelton joked with Leatherwood during rehearsals for the finale about his last name being super country.
“Leatherwood is the countriest name that I’ve ever heard in my life and I can’t think of anything that would be countrier,” Shelton joked.
Co-written by Luke Laird and Craig Wiseman, “Hillbilly Bone” appears on Shelton’s EP, Hillbilly Bone, which arrived in March of 2010. The tune was later included on the deluxe edition of Trace Adkins’ album, Cowboy’s Back In Town, which was released on August 17, 2010.
The song went on to allow Shelton to win his first Academy Of Country Music Award at the 2010 ACM Awards for Vocal Event Of The Year.
Throughout Season 22 of The Voice, Leatherwood has remained a fan-favorite contestant since he first took to the NBC studios stage during his blind audition, where he performed a cover of Conway Twitty’s “Goodbye Time.”
Bryce Leatherwood has also continuously impressed The Voice coaches (Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, John Legend, Camila Cabello) since his blind audition, where he blew away Blake Shelton with his vocal abilities.
Shelton has even compared Leatherwood’s vocals to “the King of Country Music,” George Strait. “Bryce, you’re 22, and I don’t know how much experience you have onstage,” Shelton previously gushed. ”Seems like you’ve got about 40 years…. You’re one of those guys that’s like George Strait. You deliver and it’s solid.”
Leatherwood has showcased his southern drawl on the show with covers of Brooks & Dunn’s “Red Dirt Road,” George Strait’s “Amarillo by Morning,” Morgan Wallen’s “Sand In My Boots,” Travis Tritt’s “T-R-O-U-B-L-E,” Keith Whitley’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes” and more.
The season 22 finale of NBC’s The Voice aired on Tuesday evening (Dec. 13) at 9/8c on NBC and will air again tomorrow (Dec. 14) on Peacock.
The two-hour finale also featured performances from Kelly Clarkson, Maluma, OneRepublic, Adam Lambert, BRELAND and the season 21 winner of The Voice, Girl Named Tom.
The Voice coaches—Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Camila Cabello and John Legend—also took to the stage alongside The Voice finalists—Omar Jose Cardona, Brayden Lape, Bryce Leatherwood, Morgan Myles, and bodie.
In addition to performing alongside Team Blake finalists, Shelton also joined Kane Brown to deliver the live debut of their brand-new duet, “Different Man.”
