Colt Ford Fan Steals the Mic, and Then He Steals the Show [Watch]
Colt Ford bent down to sing "Dirt Road Anthem" with a fan in a wheelchair, and the crowd hasn't stopped cheering since. Video from the moment has gone viral, and a young man named Zach Thornton has become famous — and rightfully so.
Twenty four-year-old Thornton tells Taste of Country he was nervous as fans lifted his chair to the stage during the encore of Ford's show in Orange, Texas, on Saturday (June 17). His father, Alvin, says they didn't even know it was gonna happen until it was done.
"Right when the music started on the last song, there were six guys that picked his wheelchair up," Alvin shares. "Him and Colt dabbed knuckles. Then he stuck his mic out there and he started singing part of that song."
Video taken by Alvin from the front of the stage shows Thornton being hoisted up by fans, and then being set down next to Ford. The "4 Lane Gone" singer kneels down and starts the spoken-word version of "Dirt Road Anthem" before his guest steals the microphone and raps it like he wrote it. Of course, Ford and Brantley Gilbert wrote the song, turning it into a live hit for both of them and then a radio hit for Jason Aldean.
Watch Colt Ford Sing His Version of "Dirt Road Anthem"
"I had no knowledge that Zach could sing like five of Colt's songs," Alvin says. "I had no knowledge that he even knew them."
Zach has spina bifida and hydrocephalus. His mother Lisa was also at the show, and she too spoke with enthusiasm about an experience that is nearing in on two million video views on Ford's Facebook page.
"It was wild," Zach tells ToC before admitting he was nervous when he realized he'd be asked to sing. It doesn't show. The Mississippi native wasn't shy with the mic.
"Oh yeah, I stole it," he says — Ford even complimented him afterward and gave him two of his leather cuffs, as if the moment could get any better.
Ford is used to doing duets. His latest album Love Hope Faith features several song partners, as all of his albums to date have. He takes pride in introducing fans to new artists.
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