Trisha Yearwood scored one of the biggest hits of her career with “Walkaway Joe,” but in a new interview, she reveals that another country artist came close to cutting the song before she could.
“’Walkaway Joe’ was one of those songs that the Judds actually had on hold,” Yearwood tells I Miss…90s Country Radio With Nick Hoffman on Apple Music Country. ”And then the Judds went through that breakup because Naomi was ill and they disbanded, basically, and Wynonna was getting ready to embark on a solo career. So all of the songs the Judds had on hold went back into the pool, and ‘Walkaway Joe’ is one of those songs.”
Yearwood released “Walkaway Joe” as the second single from her sophomore Hearts in Armor album in 1992. The song gave Yearwood a No. 2 hit on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart. Her video for the song featured a young, then little-known actor named Matthew McConaughey in one of his earliest roles.
Yearwood says Eagles singer Don Henley‘s harmony vocal on the track is a key element of its success. His participation came about due to an uncharacteristically bold move on her part, she relates.
“I ended up meeting him, and I am not a bold person, but I boldly asked him if he would… because he said he liked my music. I’m like, ‘Cool. Would you like to come sing on my record?'” she recalls. “And he did, and that kind of was… I think that was the thing that made it… you know, kind of took it over the top.”
Yearwood’s interview premiered on Friday (Sept. 17) at 9PM ET. It’s now available on-demand any time.