Lainey Wilson Brings Out Surprise Guest John Mayer for a Live Debut of Their Collab at All For the Hall Event
Billboard ·
The pair performed "Phone, Keys, Wallet," at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's event.
Lainey Wilson brought more than her phone, keys and wallet to her performance as part of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s All For the Hall event in Los Angeles at the Novo on Thursday (Sept. 17).
The country star surprised attendees by welcoming John Mayer to the stage to join her in performing their collaboration “Phone, Keys, Wallet” — which is currently at No. 15 on Billboard ‘s Country Airplay chart — and playing the song live together for the first time.
According to People , Wilson told the audience, “The day we actually wrote this song, I was like, ‘Man, there is somebody that I’m thinking in particular that needs to play on this song,’ and I said it out loud. We were actually here in L.A. at Chaplin Studios and … we heard this guy was there and we ran over to the office and played this song for him, literally just through the cell-phone speaker, and it was Mr. John Mayer.”
The “Say” crooner added, “I said, ‘Let’s go!’ I grabbed my guitar.” Others on the evening’s performers lineup included Jelly Roll and Lukas Nelson. Wilson’s set included renditions of “4x4xU,” and “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.” She also sang with Nelson on “More Than Friends” and paid homage to the late Dolly Parton with a cover of the country icon’s 2013 Kenny Rogers collaboration “You Can’t Make Old Friends.”
The event also featured a performance by students from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, who performed their song “I’ll Overcome,” which they wrote during a Words & Music program (one of the museum’s flagship educational offerings) with their class, with support and encouragement from songwriter Phil Barton and Songwriters Hall of Fame member Liz Rose.
The All For the Hall series, which launched in 2007 in New York, supports the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s various educational initiatives. The series initially alternated over the years between New York and Los Angeles with Country Music Hall of Famers Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris as hosts, while Gill also cohosted with Keith Urban a recurring All For the Hall concert in Nashville for several years.