The Hot Country Knights took the stage at The Country Fest in Ohio over the weekend, with a very special guest.
The ’90s country parody band — fronted by Dierks Bentley‘s mullet-rocking alter-ego Doug Douglason — make a habit of roping country’s new generation into their hilarious throwback hijinks. This time around, they introduced the crowd to Billy Bottoms Jr. — aka Zach Top — who just so happens to be Douglason’s long-lost son.
“Turns out I got a son! Billy Bottoms Jr., where you at tonight?” Douglason told the crowd before bring out the newest honorary Knight to the stage.
It’s easy to see the family resemblance. Bottoms Jr. hit the stage with his hair coiffed into a mini-mullet, wearing aviator sunglasses and skin-tight jeans just like his country star “dad.”
He also had a lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth and an acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder, and it was clear that he’s inherited both Douglason’s passion for ’90s country and his hilarious onstage presence.
“I love you Daddy!” he said as he walked up to the mic.
“I love you, Billy Bottoms Jr.,” Douglason replied. “Now, you know country music?”
“I been learning it in prison,” Bottoms Jr. affirmed.
That’s an understatement: The “father-son” duo launched into a rollicking rendition of John Michael Montgomery’s “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)” that was arguably the highlight of the set, with Bottoms Jr. going toe-to-toe with the Knights’ signature delivery, humor and flourish.
It’s no surprise that Top was a natural fit to be a Knight — he’s one of the genre’s most celebrated new traditionalists, delivering a brand of country music so ’90s-rooted that some fans have floated rumors that he might secretly be Alan Jackson‘s son.
Read More: Zach Top’s “Good Times & Tan Lines” is Alan Jackson-Esque
The Knights have previously teamed up with bona fide ’90s stars like Travis Tritt and Terri Clark, and they’ve also involved younger stars like Lainey Wilson in their shows.
Top is also currently an opener on Dierks Bentley’s 2025 Broken Branches Tour, which kicked off in May and is set to extend through August.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
