If you didn’t know any better, after listening to the first ten seconds of Kendall Shaffer’s new single, “I Killed a Six Pack,” you’d think you were listening to a long-lost 90s country gem. In that short span, listeners are hit with mentions of beer drinking and jukeboxes as a healthy dose of steel guitar and Telecasters kick in.
And that’s by design, Shaffer says, as he sees traditional country music making a comeback.
“I believe what I call ‘real country music’ is on the rise right now,” Shaffer says. “I’m so thankful.”
Though he’s been a creator and a flag flyer of traditional country music for many years, Shaffer’s newest effort comes over a year after his last single, “Beer I Come, Beer I Go.”
“It’s been so long,” Shaffer admits. “I wanted to come back with something familiar to my brand, and that’s a drinking tune!”
Written by Jeff Stevens, George Teren and Bob Regan, Shaffer says he envisioned a country music legend singing the song when he first heard it.
“I’ve been friends with Jimmy Ritchey for a while now, and he knew that we were going to start on a project soon. I sent him some songs that I wrote, and he also sent me some that were sent to him,” says Shaffer. “’I Killed A Six Pack’ was one where I thought if George Jones were still alive and drinking, he’d have a ball with this song, and so will I! Jimmy is one of my songwriting/producing heroes, and I’m real excited to be working with him!”
Shaffer, who lists Jones’ “If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me,” as well as Johnny Paycheck’s “Drinkin’ and Drivin’” and Jake Worthington’s “It Ain’t The Whiskey” as a few personal favorite drinking tunes, says there’s much more music coming down the pipeline, though they won’t all be beer-drinking boot stompers.
“I’ve got one I’m fixing to release called ‘20 Days & 40 Nights,’ written by my buddies Jim McBride and the late, great Mark Houser,” says Shaffer. “‘I Killed A Six Pack’ is about the most upbeat song I’ll put out from these batch of songs. I’ve got a bunch of songs about heartache. Even though I’m happily married, all these heartbreak songs surfaced either with me writing them or getting them pitched to me. It just brought me back to a time, quite some time ago, where I felt low down and lonesome.”
Shaffer plans to have new music out sooner than later, as he says busier than ever on the road.
“I’ve got a batch of songs I’ve got written down that all point to the title ‘Don’t Forget The Heartbreak’ that hopefully I’ll get out to the public in the beginning of 2026,” says Shaffer. “Until then, I am playing more than I’ve ever played in my whole life. God has given me the gift of music, and I give Him all the glory when it comes to any success I have.”
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