Along with his own work, Stephen Wilson Jr. has released a number of covers, including his rendition of Ben E. King‘s “Stand By Me.” He released the cover as a live performance as part of the Live At The Print Shop series, and the clip went viral with over one million views on YouTube and more than 18 million views across social media.
“Stand By Me” has a personal meaning to Wilson Jr., who shared during his appearance on Live At The Print Shop that the song is special to him, both in regard to his late father and the fact that it marked a pivotal experience in his music career.
“‘Stand By Me’ was the song that brought my dad back, if only for a few,” he said. “It’s the song that started this journey & it was that song that made it all clear what I was supposed to be doing with my time from that moment on.”
Shortly after his father’s passing, Wilson Jr. performed the song for a crowd for the first time, in what would turn out to be a life-changing moment.
“I went and played this festival two weeks after he died,” the Seymour, Indiana native recalled. “It was this songwriters’ festival in Deadwood, South Dakota, and they had everybody do a cover of a song at the end of the festival. And I do this cover of ‘Stand By Me.’ I’ve always been haunted by that song.”
“I do kind of a weird version. I’d just been playing it in my living room for years and just singing it for nobody, just myself,” he continued. “And I went and sang ‘Stand By Me,’ and I can’t explain it. I mean, there’s video footage of it, but it doesn’t do it justice. But it turned into a revival, and it was, I guess, a knighting of sorts. ‘You’re no longer a songwriter now,’ In that moment, literally when I sang that song on that stage, it was like, ‘You’re now different.’ And that’s the moment when I knew, everything’s different. It was never going to be the same again.”
While he’s now experiencing the success he’s worked for, Wilson Jr. also credited his father for always believing in him and his talent, even when he himself couldn’t quite get there.
“I had no belief in myself. My dad always believed in me way bigger than I believed in myself on all facets of life,” the 46-year-old singer/songwriter said. “So he would say that, and then I would argue with him. He would say an obvious thing and I would tell him he was wrong. And then when he died, I didn’t have no one to argue with anymore.”
One year after he released his cover of “Stand By Me,” it’s still a meaningful rendition to both Wilson Jr. and his fans, and the singer will perform the song at the 59th Annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, November 19.
Along with Stephen Wilson Jr., the 2025 CMA Awards will feature performances by Kelsea Ballerini, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, Chris Stapleton, BigXThaPlug, Luke Combs, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore and Lainey Wilson.
Hosted by country superstar Lainey Wilson, the 59th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena at 8/7c on ABC and the next day on Hulu.
