Country Music’s Constant Question – Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes

In June 1985, George Jones released his 45^th album – “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes”. It’s a big question that people are still asking.  

It is, in fact, a question I’m not sure can be answered without an argument. It’s a lot like talking about politics and religion. It’s a conversation without conclusion, a question without an answer.  

But that doesn’t mean we will ever stop trying. 

“Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes” peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Country Singles Chart and was the first music video that Jones ever made. It won CMT’s Video of the Year in 1986, beating out the Judds, Reba McEntire, and Dwight Yoakam, who were no strangers to making music videos. 

Prior to that, in 1980, Jones felt his career had peaked with “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and that there wasn’t more left for him. A new group of singers were hitting the scene and changing country music. That said, Jones went on to have hits with “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes” and “The Corvette Song”, which also peaked at No. 3 on the charts. In fact, Jones was still getting radio airplay into early 2001 with “Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In)”. 

So, perhaps, 1985 may have been a little too early for Jones to ask the question posed in “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes”. He continued to fill a lot of the shoes he sang about. That said, let’s look at the artists George sang about and I’m going to give my thoughts on who has filled the shoes George sang about. Now, it’s not that I’m saying that they sound alike. This is about the whole body of work each artist created and how these artists are keeping a legacy going. 

Waylon Jennings - Travis Tritt 

Willie Nelson - Eric Church 

Merle Haggard - George Strait  

Conway Twitty - Brett Young 

Carl Perkins - Dwight Yoakam 

Elvis Presley – Garth Brooks  

Jerry Lee Lewis - Hank Williams Jr. 

Marty Robbins - Clint Black 

Charlie Rich - Vince Gill 

Johnny Cash – Chris Stapleton 

There are a lot of artists that could have filled any of those shoes - names like Brooks & Dunn, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, and Lainey Wilson all come to mind. So many artists are doing an amazing job keeping country music alive and well, playing “Wabash Cannonball”, filling the stage at the Opry, and pouring out their hearts to me and you.  

As the song ends, George asks the questions: 

Who's gonna fill their shoes? / Who's gonna stand that tall? / Who's gonna play the Opry? / And the Wabash Cannonball? / Who's gonna give their heart and soul / To get to me and you? / Lord, I wonder who's gonna fill their shoes. 

One more thing. Jones also sang about one other artist you may have noticed is not on the list - for a good reason. As the years pass, we see new artists come and go. Some make it, some don’t. Some go on to have careers they never dreamed of, sell millions of records, sell out stadiums, and can’t go places in public because of their fame. 

But the artist left off the list is something more. He started his career by winning at a talent show in 1938 at the age of 14. His prize - $15. He would go on to leave his mark not just on country music, but the world. He only lived 29 years, but 72 years after his death, his music and legacy still influence all kinds of artists. 

Nobody can fill the shoes of Hank Williams Sr.