Is Chris Young Bringing Back His Trademark Black Cowboy Hat?

When fans first fell in love with Chris Young and his smooth baritone vocals, he also had a distinctive accessory that he rarely left home without: a black cowboy hat. 

It was 2006 when Young captured the attention of Nashville Star viewers. His talents took him all the way through to the finale where he was crowed winner of Season 4. 

Shortly after, he signed to RCA Records where he released his first single, “Drinkin’ Me Lonely,” and his self-titled debut album. He hit it big in 2009 with the release of “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)” and continued to crank out chart-topping hits.

Around 2011, when he released his third album, Neon, Young began performing without his trademark hat. 

“The biggest thing for me is I feel like I can wear a hat, or I can not wear a hat, and I’m kind of enjoying not wearing one right now,” the Tennessee native told The Boot. “Really, the biggest thing is it’s been, everybody’s like, ‘Holy crap. We can see your face when you’re onstage.’”

At the time, the singer/songwriter insisted that he’s still the same person – Stetson or no Stetson. 

“I don’t think me with a hat on or a hat off, I’m going to be country as crap, regardless,” he said. “I’m just kind of exploring it and enjoying it.”

Although he didn’t drop the hat cold turkey (he took some photos with his hat on and some with the hat off for his Neon album), Young ended up ditching the black cowboy hat for good shortly after. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Chris Young (@chrisyoungmusic)

But, on Tuesday evening (Feb. 15), Young teased that his iconic hat just might be making a comeback. 

Ahead of his appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, Young took a photo with the hat on and teased, “Well it IS the @opry tonight… should I bring the cowboy hat back?” He also tagged the post with the hashtag “#thinkIshould.” 

Fans flooded the comments section encouraging the superstar to bring the hat back. 

“Yes Sir,” wrote one fan, while another shared, “Bring back the Black Cowboy Hat!” 

Opry star @ChrisYoungMusic brought the cowboy hat to the stage tonight! 🤠 pic.twitter.com/DLD77l2leQ

— Grand Ole Opry (@opry) February 16, 2022

Young was a man of his word and ended up wearing the black hat on stage at the Grand Ole Opry.

“Opry star @ChrisYoungMusic brought the cowboy hat to the stage tonight! 🤠,” the Grand Ole Opry confirmed. 

It’s unclear if Young will continue to sport the fan-favorite accessory, however, it is clear that fans will welcome the hat back with open arms. 

Chris Young is currently the top ACM Awards nominee with a total of seven nominations.