Sam Hunt showed his traditional country side at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium during CRS week, when he broke out his acoustic guitar to perform the Waylon Jennings classic "Belle of the Ball."

Hunt has been taking country music in new directions ever since the release of his debut single "Leave the Night On" in 2014. His freshman album, Montevallo, continued his trend, raising the question of the 'country authenticity' in Hunt's music.

As you can see in the video above, Hunt doesn't forget his genre's roots while he pays homage to the country legend.

"I met a beautiful lady, a pure Southern belle of the ball / Like Scarlet O'Hara loved no one but wanted them all," Hunt sang soulfully to the adoring crowd.

The "Break Up in a Small Town" singer has come under a lot of heat for his forward-thinking country music that often blends a variety of genres, and he's right when he says it makes listeners curious.

“A lot of times, songs can blend together on the radio because there’s so many great songs out there,” he comments. “I wasn’t intentionally trying to be different, but that was an element of what I naturally do that happened to be unique enough to spark a curiosity for people.”

Hunt is gearing up to hit the road this summer with country superstar Kenny Chesney as a part of his Spread the Love Tour with Miranda Lambert and Old Dominion.

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