One year to the day after the music world lost iconic R&B pioneer Prince on April 21, 2017, the Young Fables have a special video to share: They're premiering a studio performance of their cover of "Purple Rain" exclusively for readers of The Boot.

Both longtime Prince fans, the Young Fables’ Laurel Wright and Wes Lunsford have long been working on their own version of “Purple Rain,” due mostly to Lunsford’s obsession with one of the music world’s finest guitarists.

“I've been listening to Wesley's version of "Purple Rain" for about three years now, and I'm still not tired of it,” Wright tells The Boot. “Sometimes, I believe Wes doesn't get the credit he deserves, and I'm thrilled that we get to feature him in this video.”

As Wright notes, the Young Fables' cover of "Purple Rain" gives the band a chance to have Lunsford sing lead, and also afforded them an opportunity to show off his impressive guitar chops, the latter of which shine brightest on Prince’s iconic solo near the middle of the track.

Before moving to Nashville to pursue a career in country music, Lunsford played guitar in heavy metal bands in China, and his lightning-fast fretting is a throwback to that experience. Lunsford’s first encounter with Prince came in college, when he was playing in a R&B band in East Tennessee.

“From the moment I listened to the song, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It immediately became one of my all-time favorite songs. The guitar solo alone is one of the most inspiring bits of music I have ever heard, but it's combined with words that just wash over you in a sad, yet spiritual, way,” Lunsford explains. “From that moment on, I devoured everything that Prince ever released. I purchased every album, bootleg and book I could get my hands on. He became one of my leading inspirations as a young musician.”

The Young Fables’ cover of “Purple Rain” will soon be available on Spotify and iTunes. Fans can visit their official website to learn more.

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