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Another day, another impressive cover from Charles Wesley Godwin.
Following his much-loved rendition of ‘Whiskey’ by Trampled By Turtles, the West Virginia native shared a touching take on ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’, by Gordon Lightfoot. Lightfoot sadly passed away on Monday, May 1, and Wesley Godwin used the cover as an opportunity to express his appreciation for the Canadian songsmith.
The evocative track is built around the keystone of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald's infamous sinking in 1975, with Lightfoot included the song on his acclaimed 1976 record, Summertime Dream.
‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’ went on to become a No. 1 hit in Canada, as well as reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the visceral ballad remained one of Gordon Lightfoot's most recognisable and most celebrated tracks throughout his career.
Charles Wesley Godwin's rendition captures the haunting, otherworldly ambience of Lightfoot's original, with the subtle, meandering instrumental combining with Wesley Godwin's timeless vocals to create an ominous sense of impending doom.
On Instagram, Wesley Godwin accompanied the video with a brief but heartfelt tribute to Lightfoot, “We lost a great one yesterday. Rest in peace GL. Been meaning to cover this for years. Hope you like it”.
Charles Wesley Godwin is currently in the middle of a nationwide run of shows, with the country-folk prodigy set to join up with Zach Bryan later in the year for the US leg of his 2023 Burn, Burn, Burn tour.
Given the frequency with which the ‘Jesse’ crooner has been sharing covers in recent months, fans are hoping he might include a couple on his upcoming debut album as a Big Loud Records signee.
The singer-songwriter's previous project, February's Live from the Church EP, featured high-profile covers of Zach Bryan's ‘Crooked Teeth’ and Chris Knight's ‘The Jealous Kind’.
For more on Charles Wesley Godwin, see below:
