Clay Walker’s Latest: ‘Cowboys in Heaven’

The tribute honoring his late friend celebrates the enduring nature of the cowboy spirit.

Country music artist Clay Walker during a photoshoot for his new single "Cowboys in Heaven," which pays homage to his late friend's exemplary cowboy spirit. Kirsten Balani

Shared virtues among those who embody the cowboy spirit include courage, loyalty, and integrity. Often admired most is the cowboy’s dedication to honesty. Honest is the word country singer-songwriter Clay Walker uses to describe his good friend and bareback champion bronco rider Charlie Rizzo (1940–2023).

Rizzo passed away in March 2023, on the same day Walker finished a song in his honor. Now debuting as his latest single, “Cowboys in Heaven” pays tribute to the man who was a kindred spirit and a dear friend. During the interview for The Epoch Times, unprompted, Walker touched on the lyric that made me stop and listen. It was the first time I heard the single, and I wanted to listen undistracted.

“A young girl’s heart is all he ever stole.”

Walker says that’s the line that best describes Rizzo and the legacy he leaves behind.

“He was … honest … a hard worker, firefighter … he was a bronc rider. But he was a cowboy first.”

When the two weren’t riding horses, you could find them baiting hooks in Galveston, Texas, and waiting for fish to bite.

“Charlie Rizzo was just a great friend, one of my best friends, and like a dad to me. … He was … an iconic figure in our lives, and a great fisherman. That’s how we actually met. I like to saltwater fish down in the bay in Galveston.”

While the two often bonded on the water, “Cowboys in Heaven” pays homage to Rizzo’s exemplary cowboy spirit. The brand new single also represents Walker’s own spirit—full of life, brimming with passion and laugh-out-loud stories, and plenty of country music left to create.

The Song of a Lifetime

Cover for Clay Walker's 2025 single "Cowboys in Heaven." Kirsten Balani

When asked about the writing process for “Cowboys in Heaven,” the award-winning country music performer explained that the essence of the song was always within him, he just needed to get the words out and onto a page.

“My dad was a cowboy, and I’ve grown up around men who were really good cowboys. That song’s always been in me. But, finally being able to write it. … It felt good to get it written.”

Walker has one of the most expressive voices in the genre, and there’s no shortage of conviction behind the lyrics he sings. His catalog is a treasure trove of timeless country music made for the contemporary listener. He burst onto the scene in the early 1990s with his breakout hit, “What’s It to You,” and other hits like “If I Could Make a Living.” His time spent on Billboard country charts spans decades, and includes his 2007 hit, “Fall,” and his single, “She Won’t Be Lonely Long,” that took over airwaves in 2009. Even after all the emotive songs he’s released over the years, “Cowboys in Heaven” might be his most revealing tune yet.

He shared, “Every word of the song is just true and straight from the heart.”

The single’s music video was filmed on Walker’s own ranch in Texas, a move he called “purposeful” because he wanted to film in a space that felt “authentic” and “real.”

“Those boys and girls that are in the video, … those are real cowboys and cowgirls that work those cattle.”

When asked if he’s always made a conscious effort to include his cowboy side with his professional side, he explained it’s a more natural process than that.

“I live that lifestyle, and so I don’t hide it. It’s important to me to keep that integrity. It’s not a show for me.”

‘A Songwriter First’

Though Clay Walker has been influenced by classic country music's greats, his faith has been the foundation for his inspiration. Kirsten Balani

The much-lauded songwriter grew up listening to a wide variety of musicians thanks to his parents’ differing tastes.

“My mom loved Bob Seger. My dad was really just stone cold country. My dad influenced me the most, and he loved the great singers. So my ear got really trained to loving really great traditional country singers, and those were people like Randy Travis or Keith Whitley or Thomas Conley, Merle Haggard. Merle was my dad’s favorite, and even George Jones.”

Foundational influences like Randy Travis and George Jones helped Walker appreciate the sounds of classic and traditional country music early on, and it would go on to naturally influence his own music.

“As time has gone, I have really hyper focused on traditional. … Why not give people something pure? I think they love that.”

Today, Walker considers himself  “a songwriter first and a singer second.”

For “Cowboys in Heaven,” he teamed up with Jaron Boyer. He said Boyer “is the best songwriter I’ve written with in my entire career.” Walker was also joined by writers Matt Gorman and John Stephens for the session.

While some songs have taken him years to complete, others, like “Rumor Has It,” took about 20 minutes to write. For Walker’s latest single, he remarked, “We wrote that song in one session.”

The ease in how the song came together was in part due to how well the musicians worked as a team.

“It clicked, and we were finishing each other’s lines.”

He also talked about how some of the best songs come together in a way that “fits like a puzzle very tightly, and it’s not forced.”

Faith and Tradition

“Cowboys in Heaven” is a beautiful tribute to Western and Texan cultures. There’s also a moral framework that permeates throughout the song, and throughout Walker’s music. Themes of working hard, taking care of loved ones, treasuring freedom, and having a little fun along the way are just a few subjects that define his discography. The musician has been influenced by many country greats over the years, but when asked specifically about the moral tenets present throughout his music, he brought up another key influence. He describes it as something that “comes from the interior,” his faith.

“I’m a pretty introspective person. Every day, [it’s] how do I get to heaven in the end, and I hope that’s a long time from now. But I want to get there. I have deep religious beliefs and Christian beliefs. I think that governs my thoughts and my words.”

When asked about the importance of keeping the traditions of country music alive as the genre continues to experience massive change, Walker provided an enlightening answer. “We need those traditions more than they need us.”

He elaborated, relating it to two of history’s most celebrated and studied Christian writers, C.S. Lewis and St. Augustine.

“C.S. Lewis stood on the shoulders of writers like Augustine. He stood on that man’s shoulders to see a little farther down the road. You have to stand on the shoulders of giants. And so I did that. I stood on the shoulders of Kenny Rogers, George Strait, Randy Travis, [and] Keith Whitley.”

He drove home the point of the past influencing future generations of musicians by explaining how the 1990s’ country music renaissance was fueled by the hard work of its songwriters and performers in the 1980s.

Living to Sing

Cover of  Walker's 2024 single “I Know She Hung The Moon.” Kirsten Balani

Another of his recent singles, “I Know She Hung The Moon,” has a nostalgic feel; it radiates with classic country style. Late country icon Toby Keith wrote the love ballad with songwriter Scotty Emerick. Walker once watched in amazement as he sang on stage alongside Keith, who, with no monitor or way of hearing himself onstage, performed song after song without missing a note. After reminiscing about his friendship with the late showman, who he said “loved a good debate,” Walker shared a funny story about how he came to be the one to record “I Know She Hung The Moon.” It all began with a backstage conversation between the two performers.

“I said, ‘I’m looking for songs for the next record.’ He goes, ‘I got one for you.’ And he started singing this song, “I Know She Hung The Moon.” And as he was singing it a cappella, I said, ‘Toby, that sounds like a George Strait song.’ He looked at me and he goes, ‘Sounds like a Clay Walker song to me.’”

When asked about what’s on the horizon for the “Cowboys in Heaven” singer, he chatted about the biopic he’s set to star in that chronicles the life and career of country legend Randy Travis. He’s one of a few different actors who will portray Travis in various stages of his life. Walker said he’s looking forward to working on the project, and spoke highly of one of his musical heroes.

“It’s exciting to be able to be part of something that is his legacy. … My heart is in it honestly, just to honor him because he’s been such an iconic figure for country music. He’s probably the epitome of country music honestly. If you look at the greatest country singers—Merle Haggard, George Jones, Keith Whitley, Lefty Frizzell—Randy is all of those combined. He is the culmination of those greatest voices, all wrapped up in one.”

Walker also said he’s “got a lot of stuff in the tank” as far as his own music goes.

Just as his cowboyin’ ways are a lifestyle authentically lived, so is his music. He has no plans to hand over the reins any time soon.

“I don’t sing for a living,” he said. “I live to sing.”

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