A listing of some of my favorite covers that I prefer to the originals:
- You’ve Got The Silver (The Rolling Stones) - Susan Tedeschi
- Summer Wind (Frank Sinatra’s version is best known but originally recorded by Wayne Newton and written by Johnny Mercer) - Lyle Lovett
- (Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night (Tom Waits) - Shawn Colvin
- Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (recorded literally hundreds of times, but originally by Sonny Boy Williamson) - Derek Trucks Band
- Little Red Corvette (Prince) - Heath Brandon
- Crazy (Gnarls Barkley) - Shawn Colvin
- Black Coffee In Bed (Squeeze) - Ernie Halter
- Blank Space/Stand By Me (Taylor Swift/Ben E. King) - Imagine Dragons
- Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers) - John Mayer (it’s been a fairly regular part of his live set for years)
- Cold Cold Heart (Hank Williams) - Norah Jones
- Little Red Rooster (first recorded by Howlin’ Wolf) - The Rolling Stones
- Someone Like You (Van Morrison) - Shawn Colvin
- Viva Las Vegas (written by Doc Pomus and recorded by Elvis) - Shawn Colvin (available on the Doc Pomus tribute album)
- Downtown Train (Tom Waits) - Rod Stewart
- I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good (Duke Ellington) - Johnny Hodges (the version on the outstanding 1961 album with Billy Strayhorn is excellent)
- Chelsea Bridge (originally recorded by Duke Ellington with Ben Webster on tenor) - Ben Webster (the version on the Jazz ‘Round Midnight album is, in my mind, superior)
- Pinball Wizard (The Who) - Puddles the Clown