Tyler Childers Shares Story Behind 'Way Of The Triune God' First Existing As Voice Memo On His Phone
Tyler Childers' notes look and sound a little bit different than the average iPhone user. The 31-year-old singer/songwriter recently revealed that he has a wealth of music that may or may not ever reach our ears.
Childers, who has risen to superstardom with his unique mix of neotraditional country, bluegrass and folk music, released his breakout album in 2017 and has been on an indefinite upswing ever since. His most recent album, 'Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?' dropped in September after Childers got sober, with a twist.
Tyler Childers' newest album is 24 songs, but really eight.
He recorded eight gospel songs in three different versions. There is a 'Hallelujah' version, a 'Jubilee' version and a 'Joyful Noise' version for each song.
Taking the new album thematically, it serves as a unique journey through the Holy Trinity. It's something of a metaphoric dissection of God as triune: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Of the eight tracks on the three discs, 'Way of the Triune God' is far and away the most popular. Its Hallelujah version has more than 16 million listens on Spotify, with the Jubilee version at just over 5 million.
Apparently, although the song dropped just last year, it has been in the back of Childers' mind for years. Rather, it has been on his phone in the form of an acapella voice memo.
The inspiration for 'Way of the Triune God' stems from the Georgia Sea Island Singers.
The group formed in the early 1900s and consisted only of African American members from the Gullah culture in the Lowcountry.
I’d written it, I was listening to Lomax recordings of the Georgia Island Singers. Bessie Jones on there, I just really love all those songs she sings. And I was like man, if I had the opportunity to pitch her a song, what would that song be? And that's why I wrote that song!
Despite what the song (and its acapella rough draft) meant to Childers, he never expected it to become what it has. The idea of playing the song with his band was never one that crossed his mind, until the new album.
It called to be on this album with these songs. It was very important.
Little did Childers know, it would soon become one of his biggest hits. All from a voice memo on his phone!