Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton Release Bluegrass Remake of Charlie Daniels Classic

Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton have released "The Devil Went Down To Deep Gap," a reimagined bluegrass/metal tribute that transforms the Charlie Daniels Band classic into a North Carolina–set origin myth for Doc Watson.

"There was a lot of energy moving towards...ok, let's just do something crazy," Sutton recalled. Starting the new year off with a change of pace from the strict duets that make up the rest of his ongoing From Roots to Branches series, it's a rewrite of the Charlie Daniels Band hit that's just as crazy and as great as you would think."

The story recasts a young Arthel Lane Watson as the challenger in a guitar duel with the devil in Deep Gap, North Carolina. Instead of a golden fiddle, the defeated devil awards a golden guitar, creating a fictionalized origin for Watson's legendary status. The narrative acknowledges Watson's passing in 2012 while underscoring his lasting influence on bluegrass guitar and string music.

"I had this idea a while ago to come up with some fake legend of how Arthel Watson became Doc Watson," he said. "It would be 'the story that we never knew' of Doc beating the devil, and from then on, he'd be called Doc."

Del McCoury takes on the role of the devil, with Sam Bush contributing mandolin, T. Michael Coleman on bass, and Jerry Roe on drums. Strings and Sutton blend traditional flatpicking with metal-style shredding, emphasizing Watson's foundational influence while positioning Strings as a modern torchbearer of that guitar legacy.

"As things grew with this," Sutton said, "I thought, the way the story's presented, I'm the narrator, and Billy plays the role of Arthel "Doc" and then who's going to play the Devil? Del McCoury! Why not? And he was game to do it."

The track weaves in references to Doc Watson standards, including Black Mountain Rag, Deep River Blues, Reuben's Train, and Shady Grove, while inviting comparison to the original "Devil Went Down To Georgia."

"If there are boxes to check," Sutton said, "or a sweet spot in this beyond just being theatrical and kind of wild, it really is, at the end of the day, a Doc Watson tribute. In fact, when Billy and I were talking about it after listening to it at the end, he said, 'You know, this is a gospel song! Like, c'mon, devil. I'll show you.'"