Conway Twitty‘s “Hello Darlin’” was released 23 years before Scotty McCreery was born, but the song has still had a significant impact on his career.
McCreery has been covering Twitty’s swoon-worthy hit for quite some time. A few years ago, the Grand Ole Opry filmed one of his performances on its famous stage and shared the video online.
That video introduced McCreery to a bunch of new fans who fell in love with his version of the country classic. It’s been a standard piece in his setlist ever since.
But that Opry performance wasn’t the only time McCreery went viral for singing “Hello Darlin’.” He recently included his full, official recording of the song on his new record, 15.
Before the album’s release, McCreery posted a video that featured a snippet of his “Hello Darlin’” cover. That video has since earned over 41 million views on Instagram and millions more on Facebook and TikTok.
Following that video’s viral performance, McCreery shared another clip reflecting on “Hello Darlin’” and what it means to him. He explained:
“Doing Hello Darlin’ on the Grand Ole Opry, and them putting it out on their YouTube page and social media, I think introduced me to a lot of new folks. It became a song that people at my concerts, at meet and greets, or online before shows, will be like ‘Please tell me you’re singing Hello Darlin’.’ We’ve started doing it regularly because of that.”
He added, “I felt like it became a big part of my career, so I wanted to include it on this project, looking back on 15 years [since his career started].”
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Scotty McCreery Celebrated “Hello Darlin’” When It Was Named One Of The Best Country Songs Of All Time
In coordination with its 100th anniversary last year (2025), the Grand Ole Opry compiled a list of the 100 Greatest Country Songs. “Hello Darlin’” appeared on the list, although, surprisingly, it was the only Conway Twitty song in the ranking.
To celebrate, the Opry spoke to two of its members about “Hello Darlin’” and its part in country music history. Six-year Opry member Gene Watson remembered how “the place would just erupt” whenever Twitty would sing the opening words.
McCreery, who’s been a member of the Opry since 2024, echoed what Watson said:
“The first two words, the way he says it…Conway had a swagger about him that nobody had, you know?”
McCreery continued to say, “I heard it playing on the record player when I was growing up from my mom, she loved Conway Twitty…Hello Darlin’ was just that classic that we would always go back to.”
Listen to Gene Watson and Scotty McCreery speak more about “Hello Darlin’” in the video below. The video also includes archival footage of Conway Twitty performing the song.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rywvapkJthuU&t=2s
