73-year-old English grandfather, guitarist, and vocalist Frank Watkinson became an unlikely internet legend in 2020 when he transformed a heavy metal anthem into a tear-jerking ballad, amassing more than 5.5 million YouTube views in the process.
Against all odds, Frank twisted Slipknot’s hit single, “Snuff,” into a country-inspired acoustic piece, unlocking more raw emotion hidden within Slipknot’s original than most cover musicians had ever dared touch before.
Music Man readers can watch Frank’s outstanding rendition in the video above.
And, if you’ve never heard Slipknot’s original before, just hit play on the clip below…
Stripping the track of its explosive distortions and nu-metal angst, Frank uses nothing but his acoustic guitar and unamplified voice to cover a hit originally crafted by a nine-person band, completely solo.
Performing the song from his living room, far removed from the chaos of live heavy metal gigs, Frank’s soft vocals and fingerpicked chords carry the warmth and depth of country ballads, drawing all attention to the bittersweet lyrics. In his tender voice, Slipknot’s words start to take on a brand new meaning, Frank singing another man’s lyrics as if they were his own life story, resonating so profoundly that Frank seems entirely moved by the melancholia backlighting this song.
This clip spread across the internet like wildfire when it was first uploaded, catapulting Frank’s YouTube channel from obscurity to a page now boasting 55 million views in total.
Frank, who had worked in retail, factories, diners, and a telephone company until his retirement, started his YouTube channel in 2015 with a cover of Elvis’ “Always On My Mind.”
His popularity flared during the COVID-19 lockdown era, thanks in part to this viral Slipknot cover, with Frank soon earning multiple big-name magazine features in the midst of uploading weekly, sometimes even daily, song covers.
Other than his breakthrough “Snuff” cover, ten more of Frank’s videos have passed the million-view milestone on YouTube, including renditions of “Creep” by Radiohead, “Take On Me” by A-Ha, “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish, and “I Miss You” by Blink 182.
Frank’s channel now stands with an eye-watering 1,100 song covers and 1.24 million subscribers, on top of 25.1 million likes over on TikTok.
Frank Watkinson proves age is no barrier to moving music — his stripped-back take on Slipknot’s “Snuff” revealed a surprising well of emotion and turned him into an internet sensation. Want to hear more from this remarkable grandfather-guitarist? Check the useful links below to explore his music, videos and back story.