Commentary: Country boy, I love you
An illustration of Mason Ramsey, known as the “Yodeling Walmart Kid”, wearing his iconic white button-down shirt, red bow-tie, cowboy hat and boots. Ramsey became famous after a video of him singing “Lovesick Blues” in his local Walmart went viral. Illustration by Saskia Wong-Smith ’18.
If you haven’t heard about Mason Ramsey — also known as “Yodeling Walmart Kid,” also known as “Lil’ Hank Williams” — you must be living under a rock.
Ramsey is the 11-year-old boy that has captured our hearts after a video of him covering Hank Williams Sr.’s “Lovesick Blues” in a his local Walmart went viral. From the small town of Golconda, Illinois, which has a population of about 700 people, Ramsey is America’s newest sweetheart.
As the video became increasingly popular, remixes and memes based off of the video began to circulate on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. And after anyone, especially a talented young child, goes viral, it’s only a matter of days before they end up on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
His interview with DeGeneres was hilarious and heartwarming. He described how “awesome” it was being on an airplane and a limo for the first time and expressed his dissatisfaction after trying sparkling water (according to Ramsey, “it just kind of tastes kind of funny”).
When asked if he likes Los Angeles, Ramsey replied by saying, “Yeah, but I’m a country boy. And out in the old country, all we do is bale straws of hay, and next thing you know, you’re sitting under a tree taking a nap with your hat down and a weed in your mouth.”
Adorable.
I’ll admit, I teared up a little when DeGeneres made Ramsey’s biggest dream come true by arranging for him to perform at the Grand Ole Opry — a weekly concert in Nashville, Tennessee, whose slogan is “The Show that Made Country Music Famous.” And to top it all off, Walmart gave him a college scholarship for $15,000.
He even made a surprise appearance at Coachella on Friday, Apr. 13 during producer Whethan’s set in the Sahara Tent — wearing his iconic white button-down shirt, red bow-tie, cowboy hat and boots, obviously.
Ramsey has risen to stardom very quickly, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down just yet.
When people ask my friends what kind of music they like, they usually say, “Anything but country.” But after seeing them jam out to Ramsey’s rendition of “Lovesick Blues,” I think they’re starting to give the genre a second chance.
In my opinion, Ramsey is a true gift to the world. I’ve already listened to his original video on repeat an embarrassing amount of times. I’ve asked teachers if I could AirPlay the video before class. I considered buying a Coachella weekend two ticket since there is a slight chance that I could watch Mason perform with Post Malone.
Sadly, I cannot attend. But luckily, I know Ramsey will be around for a long time, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for him. I trust that he’ll continue to put smiles on our faces and share his gift of yodeling with the world.
Cat Oriel joined the Oracle staff as a contributing writer in 2015, was promoted to Voices Editor in 2017 and is now the News and Features Editor. She...
McKenzie Lookebill • Apr 18, 2018 at 12:28 pm
This gave me life. Thank you for the vine reference, us at The Fenton InPrint loved it.