Exclusive Premiere: Hear Paul Rodgers on Hillbilly Vegas’ Raucous ‘Mr. Midnight’

A "forgotten" Paul Rodgers song has turned into a special collaboration between the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and the Southern rock troupe Hillbilly Vegas.

On Friday, the Oklahoma quintet is releasing the Rodgers-written "Mr. Midnight" as a single from its upcoming fourth album, A La Mode, due out May 8. Rodgers sings a few lines on the song, too.

You can check out the exclusive premiere of the "Mr. Midnight" video below.

Watch the Video for Hillbilly Vegas' 'Mr. Midnight' Featuring Paul Rodgers

How Did Hillbilly Vegas' Paul Rodgers Collaboration Happen?

Rodgers tells UCR that "Mr. Midnight" was among the songs he wrote prior to his latest solo album, 2023's Midnight Rose, but did not record for the album.

"The song started with the guitar riff," Rodgers tells UCR. "I had it floating around in my mind, and I built the song around that. When I was looking for lyrics I was inspired by a feline. Cynthia, my wife, has a number of rescued cats; there was one black cat in particular named Jasper. His coat was so sleek and black that I nicknamed him Mr. Midnight. You can let your imagination take it from there."

Hillbilly Vegas, meanwhile, shares a manager (David Spero) with Rodgers as well as band members — bassist Todd Ronning, who also played in later lineups of Bad Company, and guitarist/keyboardist Geraldo Dominelli, who also had a brief touring stint with Loverboy in 1989.

"Todd sent it to me and said, 'Listen to this. What do you think about doing this song?'" Hillbilly Vegas frontman Steve Harris says. "I said, 'It's great. What is it?' He said, 'A song Paul wrote.' Uh, who's gonna say no to that? So we asked Paul if he was OK with us doing it."

Things then went a step further. "Todd asked if I would sing on the track and I agreed," Rodgers says. "However, when I heard their recording of 'Mr. Midnight,' Steve did such a great job, I felt they had it well covered. I did not want to disturb the flow created in their recording, but I had made a promise to the boys in the band, so I sang a couple of lines."

Harris, who has not yet met Rodgers, had a similar feeling. "When I heard the demo I couldn't imagine what I would possibly do. You hear that guy sing it, even on a demo on a phone in a rehearsal room, and it sounded like all his albums from the beginning of time. He's one of my favorite singers of all time, so getting to be on a song with him, and all the nice things he said, has been kind of cool. I have a few bucket list things, but that's one I never thought I'd have an opportunity to do."

For Rodgers’ parts on "Mr. Midnight," Harris says, "I left some areas blank where I thought he might sing. It turns out I was correct. Listening to the tribute album they did [last year's Can't Get Enough: A Tribute to Bad Company], I knew he was gonna have a light touch on what he did. He doesn't want to dominate. And I was kind of right. We talked him into singing a couple more lines than he did originally, which we loved."

READ MORE: Top 10 Bad Company Songs

What to Expect From Hillbilly Vegas' A La Mode

Hillbilly Vegas' A La Mode features 10 more tracks in addition to “Mr. Midnight.” The group formed during 2011 and has shared bills with kindred spirits such as Blackberry Smoke, the Kentucky Headhunters and Ted Nugent, as well as country stars Travis Tritt, Alabama, Blake Shelton and Wynonna Judd. They've also established a following in the U.K., where they've played high-profile festivals such as Steelhouse and Maid of Stone.

"We have a wonderful audience over there, which has just been unexpected," says Harris, Hillbilly Vegas' sole original member. "We've made so many friends, had huge crowds. We've spent our last four tours overseas. Now we're back seeing if we can do anything more here at home."

READ MORE: Top 35 Southern Rock Songs

Rodgers also has his nose to the grindstone following Bad Company's 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, which health issues prevented him from attending. A memoir "is pretty close to complete," he says, with publication details expected soon. In the meantime he's also been writing more new music.

"I just recorded a new song at Matt Sorum's Good Noise studio here in Palm Springs," Rodgers reveals. "I haven't yet decided how it will be released. I might even duet with a very talented female musician for her album. As they say, watch this space."