Hear Brad Paisley 'Crush It' on Eric Clapton's 'Layla'

Hear Brad Paisley 'Crush It' on Eric Clapton's 'Layla':

During last year's Country Nation World Tour, Brad Paisley paid tribute to the guitar heroes who came before him, often taking a few minutes during the middle of his set to shred his way through some of rock & roll's most memorable riffs.

Guitar licks from Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child of Mine," the Eagles' "Life in the Fast Lane" and Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" all made the cut, as did an abridged version of Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher," which focused on Eddie Van Halen's finger-tapped fretwork rather than David Lee Roth's campy come-ons. Months later, Paisley is gearing up for a new tour that kicks off in mid-May — but that doesn't mean he's quit covering his favorite classic rock tunes.

During a visit to The Bobby Bones Show on March 2nd, Paisley played an acoustic version of his new single, "Crushin' It," before shifting gears and tackling Derek and the Dominos' "Layla." His own version of "Layla" took its cues the casual, stripped-down performance that appeared on Eric Clapton's 1992 album, Unplugged, although Paisley abbreviated the song by skipping the second verse and shortening the guitar break. (Listen to Paisley's acoustic "Layla" below.)

The Bobby Bones performance helped kick off "Joy Week," an annual tradition launched in 2014 to encourage "people to be nicer to each other." Sure, it's a bit odd that Paisley contributed to those efforts by crooning a song about loneliness and unrequited love, but the singer/slinger kept things light, even asking the radio staff to remind him of the song's third verse.

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