These rock legends tried their hand at country, and they did it well. They traded some of rock’s edge for twangy tones and blurred genre lines. Whether they fully left their rock star personas behind or just wove country tones into their rock sound, these artists broke conventions.
Darius Rucker
Starting with an obvious choice, the most famous example of a rocker going country is Darius Rucker. This legend traded his 1990s alt-rock sound for country in 2008. The leap was so effective that younger generations could be forgiven for not knowing he was ever a rocker.
His cover of “Wagon Wheel” earned Rucker cred in the country scene. No one could’ve turned their nose up at this rocker trying to make it in Nashville while this song was climbing the charts. “Heading down south to the land of the pines / I’m thumbing my way into North Caroline / Staring up the road and pray to God I see headlights / I made it down the coast in 17 hours,” he sings with a convincing country twang in this famous, career-altering cover.
Steven Tyler
Though not as permanent as Rucker’s transition, rock legend Steven Tyler also forayed into country. In 2016, Tyler shocked listeners by dropping his rock edge for something softer with We’re All Somebody From Somewhere. This album was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Tyler created a thesis statement, proving that country music can come from anywhere.
“Sweet Biloxi to New York City / From that fine red wine of the vine to cheap brown whiskey / Seattle coffee, Memphis blues / Chi-town wind, Miami cruise / There’s a thousand stories between me and you,” the title track’s lyrics read. Though he didn’t stick with the genre shift, it was a splashy effort.
The Byrds
Rather than fully transitioning into country music, The Byrds injected southern sounds into their brand of rock on the album Sweetheart Of The Rodeo. Gram Parsons brought his country-rock pioneering to this band, giving them a more diverse sound.
“Clouds so swift, rain won’t lift / Gate won’t close, railing’s froze / Get your mind off wintertime / You ain’t goin’ nowhere,” the lyrics to a top track from the album, “You Ain’t Going Nowhere”, read. This song and the others on this album brought in new flavors to rock that forever blurred the lines between country and its edgier counterpart.
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