Every holiday season, we watch musicians breathe new life into our favorite Christmas tunes. It’s enjoyable to see what can be done with some of the classics – and one Nashville-based group really took “Little Drummer Boy” to the next level of spectacular.
It’s happening tonight!! The Worldwide Virtual Event | A Drummer Boy Christmas LIVE from the Grand Ole Opry 9PM EST!
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Posted by for KING & COUNTRY on Sunday, November 29, 2020
Many of us grew up with “The Little Drummer Boy” playing in our households around Christmas. The lyrics are meaningful, but was it ever an energetic song that sent chills down your spine? Eh, maybe not so much.
Christian-pop duo, for KING & COUNTRY, figured out how to make “Little Drummer Boy” a memorable, electrifying experience for fans. They performed a rendition of the song live in Phoenix, Arizona that’s still haunting the internet today.
For KING & COUNTRY is a multi-Grammy award-winning band, formed by Australian brothers, Joel and Luke Smallbone.
The group decided to take a crack at “Little Drummer Boy” to play during their upcoming Christmas tour (despite not even having a Christmas album). Fast-forward to today, “Little Drummer Boy” is one of their signature songs.
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So what did KING & COUNTRY do to make it a tune that’s exhilarating and has crowds thirsting for it? Lots of amazing sounds.
Joel Smallbone told PEOPLE:
“It’s very basic. This is a song about a boy who’s playing a drum for Jesus. And here we are, seven guys [in the band] playing a load of drums. Why didn’t Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra ever think of this?”
Brother Luke added:
“It was just the lowest hanging fruit of all time, that nobody had put drums on the ‘Little Drummer Boy.’ And we were just there at the right height.”
For KING & COUNTRY absolutely rocked the stage in Phoenix with their live rendition of “Little Drummer Boy.”
The performance took place at Grand Canyon University and is included on their album, Christmas: LIVE from Phoenix. It’s since gone viral and has millions of views online.
This isn’t your typical “Little Drummer Boy.”
Get ready for a stage full of musicians absolutely crushing their instruments, accompanied by the lyrics we all grew up listening to. Along with the classic “pa rum pum pum pum,” for KING & COUNTRY’s passionate drumming, singing, and instrument playing gives the Christmas song its long-awaited edge.
In the video, Luke has his drum strapped to his body and beats it with incredible energy.
He’s been playing the instrument since he was a child according to PEOPLE – and now views himself as being “A Big Little Drummer Boy.”
The brothers’ voices are captivating and contribute to how amazing their cover is.
Since for KING & COUNTRY uploaded the performance to their YouTube channel, it’s gathered more than 8.4 million views! People have left comments like:
“OMG…. OMG…OMG…. (tears of emotion) this is the BEST version I’ve heard.”
Another person wrote:
“So many drums. Each of them of different sound. My heart was pounding. I couldn’t breathe. Till they stopped.”
If you can’t get enough of for KING & COUNTRY combined with “Little Drummer Boy,” they have so much more to check out! The group performed at the CMA Country Christmas event, released a brand new video for the song in October, and have a 2020 album titled A Drummer Boy Christmas.
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Ready for goosebumps? You can watch for KING & COUNTRY’s electrifying Phoenix performance for yourself below!
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