Some people spend years of their lives trying to master singing the most challenging songs ever made. Then there are some people, like Brendan MacFarlane, who have such an impressive natural talent that their voices almost seem too good to be real.
That’s certainly what Dan Courtenay, owner of a guitar shop in New York, thought about the 13-year-old when he put on an impromptu performance in his store.
Brendan might have only just hit his teenage years, but his voice was already that of a seasoned blues singer.
The whole performance was recorded in 2009 and uploaded to YouTube back in 2011, and while the camera quality is typically grainy of the time, the sound quality is thankfully perfect.
As the video began, Brendan launched straight into his own rendition of Sam Cooke & Soul Stirrers’ “Just Another Day”.
Brendan belted out the opening lyrics, and Dan, standing behind the counter, was open-mouthed in shock.
The talented teen had only got a few verses into the song when Dan cut him off, telling him to stop.
He spoke so urgently that Brendan’s dad, who had been playing the guitar, jumped out of his seat, expecting to be told to leave.
Instead, Dan explained that he needed to record the teen, saying, “I don’t freaking believe what I’m hearing, so I want to be able to record it to show my friends, okay?”
He continued to ask how Brendan had such an incredible voice, saying,
“Dude, just tell me, did you get sick one day, and you woke up, and you could do that?”
When the youngster started back up, everyone was in awe of his singing.
His ability to hit the high notes is out of this world, and he has a vocal range that many professional singers can only dream of.
According to his dad, George, Brendan’s singing talent first became apparent when he was just three years old. Speaking to Inspire More, George recalled:
“I noticed he was pitch perfect, so I changed the key, and he sang it perfectly again. I played in three or four different keys and he sang in tune every time. I couldn’t believe it.”
Unsurprisingly, by the time the video reached viral status on YouTube, the 15-year-old released his debut album.
Titled “The Road,” the album features soulful country songs, including Hank Williams’ “Lost on the River”, “Precious Lord” and “Jesus Remembered Me.”
Three years after that, aged 18, Brendan released an album simply titled “Brendan MacFarlane”.
Many people commented that they’d love to hear him now, and thanks to the power of the internet, we can.
Back in 2017, Brendan released a video titled “Kid from guitar store ……Over 10 years later covers “Just Another Day””.
Sadly, it seems that many of the 19 million viewers of Brendan’s original performance missed out on his 23-year-old-self’s cover of the song, and the video was only viewed over 100,000 times.
If you haven’t seen the “10 years later” video, it’s well worth a watch.
Brendan’s voice, though lower now he’s a man and not a young teen, is still pitch-perfect.
His newer take on the song is much softer and more controlled, and he plays his own guitar in this version.
But the obvious first watch for anyone who was completely unaware of Brendan MacFarlane before now is the original guitar shop performance by his 13-year-old-self.
You can give it a watch now – just click “play” below and prepare to be impressed!
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