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When Rockers Go Country the Results Can Be Extraordinary
The songs below prove it
Back in 2013, the late, great Tom Petty blasted today’s country music as nothing more than “bad rock with a fiddle.” For those of us who still prefer George Jones to Brad Paisley, the comment was pretty much spot-on, which is sad because rock has always been an alchemical blend of blues and country. Sometimes this blend leans more to the country-rock side, with bands like Drive By Truckers, Old 97’s, Steve Earle, and (going back a bit) the Marshall Tucker Band.
I started this piece as a look at bands like the ones mentioned above, but then I came across that Petty quote, which somehow led me down a totally different musical rabbit hole; this is how I lose entire days without realizing it. When all was said and done, what I had was a list of times rock artists either produced or covered country songs better than any of the “stadium country” crap coming out today.
Some you know, some will be new, and several will probably surprise you. And rest assured, none are by Darius Rucker, the New Country icon and former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman. Listen closely to Hootie’s Cracked Rear View album and you will quickly see that Darius has always been a country singer. Anyway, on with the list:
