Clay Walker’s Cowboy Hat Has Been With Him Since the Beginning

If you have seen Clay Walker onstage anytime since the beginning of his career in 1994, you’ve seen the “Dreaming With My Eyes Open” singer in something very special to him: his cowboy hat — yes, the same one that he’s had since the start.

In a recent interview, Walker told Taste of Country Nights host Evan that he’s still rocking the same hat from back in the day. “I have my traditional black hat that I’ve always worn, and I have the same hat that I wore at my first concert,” he shares.

“I’ve, uh, never changed hats,” he adds.

As with any relationship that’s lasted nearly three decades, there have been some ups and downs. At one point, Walker actually lost his cherished hat.

“Funny story is, I fell asleep on a plane and left my hat, and it was missing for three months,” he shares. “I was sick about it.”

Fortunately, Walker wouldn’t be lonely (too) long: He and his hat were reunited.

“It got found at some warehouse and sent back to me,” Walker remembers. “I don’t know how — just an act of God.

“That was a heartbreaker,” he adds. “When I got it back, I felt like I’d found a child that had been lost.”

Given the season, Walker’s lately been changing things, wearing a straw hat that he usually wears around his ranch onstage “because it’s summer and it’s hot.” Even with the addition of his more weather-appropriate number, He’s not letting go of what’s served him well since the ’90s.

“I don’t really ever change it out,” he says. “It’s just those two.”

Walker will release a new album, Texas to Tennessee, on July 30.

Unbelievable ’90s Country Facts You Definitely Didn’t Know: