Artists That Could Do It All
Whether you love country music or not, there's no denying that talent is talent. Many talented artists stay in their musical lanes for much of their careers, but some will take risks and successfully cross musical lines. Let's explore some of the best country-crossover artists of all time.
Shaboozey
Hip-hop artist Shaboozey broke the mold in May 2024 when he released Where I've Been Isn't Where I'm Going as his debut studio album. While much of the album was traditional hip-hop, one song, "A Bar Song," broke records. He became the first African American male to have a song on Billboard's Top 100 Hot Country Songs, and Country Airplay charts simultaneously. "A Bar Song" also spent seven weeks atop Country Airplay, surpassing country music classics like Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take The Wheel".
Michael Potts F1, Shutterstock
Linda Ronstadt
From working with legends like Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Neil Young, Ronstadt showcased her diverse musical talent throughout her career, beginning with country music hits like "Blue Bayou", "Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me," and more, but also recorded traditional Mexican music. Her nickname was "The Queen Of Country Rock".
Rob Bogaerts, Wikimedia Commons
Post Malone
Another hip-hop legend of recent fame who also produced excellent country music is Post Malone. He released his first country album in 2024, entitled F-1 Trillion, collaborating on the album with Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, and Morgan Wallen.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé swapped her dresses and heels for cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat for a country album titled Cowboy Carter, which she teased by releasing the single "Texas Hold 'Em" during Super Bowl LVIII. Cowboy Carter debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Album charts, making her the first African American female artist to have an album reach number one on the country charts. You're up next, Jay-Z.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
John Denver
John Denver was undoubtedly a country music artist through and through, but a couple of his songs have had universal appeal. You know this because whenever someone says, "West Virginia," you can't help but think, "Mountain Mama, take me home... country roads", whether you like country music or not.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Crystal Gayle
Unless you've heard her magical duet with Donovan for his hit "Catch The Wind," you could be forgiven for not knowing the name—but Crystal Gayle is Loretta Lynn's sister. In 1977, she released "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue," a ballad that reached number two on the Billboard Top 100. Whatever made her eyes blue must have worked—the singer's eyes are blue.
Patsy Cline
In 1957, Patsy Cline performed "Walkin' After Midnight" on TV and became an almost overnight sensation. The song launched Cline's career and was a chart-topper on country music and pop charts. It would go on to sell more than a million copies.
Decca Records, Wikimedia Commons
Maren Morris
Maren Morris was always destined to be a country music superstar—from performing in the streets as a teenager in Texas, before achieving massive hits like "My Church" and "80s Mercedes" in 2016/17. In 2018, she crossed over to pop music with "The Middle", which saw her collaborate with DJ Zedd and DJ Grey.
Lady A
Beginning as "Lady Antebellum" and now called "Lady A", the trio have had a string of cross-genre hits, but began with a big country hit, "Need You Now". In a more pop-focused move, they released "Champagne Night," and "I Run To You".
zqvol, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Kenny Rogers
Would it surprise you to learn that the legendary Kenny Rogers began his career in a jazz band? In 1958, he joined a jazz band with Bobby Doyle and released "That Crazy Feeling". But, of course, his biggest hits have come as a country music star, including the "Islands In The Stream" duet with Dolly Parton and "The Gambler".
BJ Thomas
The smooth-as-silk voice of BJ Thomas echoes in "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," which achieved cross-genre success in 1969, but for much of the 1960s and early 70s, he remained firmly a country artist. In the 1980s, he achieved pop chart success with "New Looks From An Old Lover".
William Morris Agency-management, Wikimedia Commons
Glen Campbell
The "Rhinestone Cowboy" wasn't just a country music sensation (thanks to that tune)—he later found huge acclaim with two songs that remain just as famous today as when they were written: "Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston".
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
Olivia Newton-John
This one made country music purists very mad. British-born Olivia Newton-John broke into the country music scene in 1974 with "I Honestly Love You," which earned her the CMA Award for the Female Vocalist Of The Year. The anger among country singers was palpable. Fortunately, Newton-John had other hits to fall back on, like "You're The One That I Want" from Grease (1978), which is one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Bert Verhoeff, Wikimedia Commons
Sheryl Crow
It's always been somewhat difficult to confine Sheryl Crow's talent to a specific genre—she's been crossing lines between country, rock, folk, and pop for many years. But in 2002, the star had a breakthrough country song with Kid Rock called "Picture," which won the 2003 CMA Award for Music Event Of The Year.
Ray Charles
The legend that is Ray Charles was possibly one of the greatest musicians of all time, blurring the lines between soul, country, and hip-hop throughout his life. His album Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music from 1962 was a hit on both country and R&B charts, and his later collaboration with Willie Nelson on "Seven Spanish Angels" confirmed that he could do it all.
Heinrich Klaffs, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Carrie Underwood
As you've read, despite being usurped by Shaboozey, Carrie Underwood still crossed the bridge between country and pop multiple times. With hits like "Jesus Take The Wheel" and "Before He Cheats" finding their way to the highest reaches of both charts, Underwood is one of the most successful American Idol contestants ever.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
Dolly Parton
We couldn't make a list of country-crossovers without mentioning The Queen herself. Parton's early career, including that duet with Kenny Rogers, was exclusively country. She was Ms Country. But later hits, like "9 to 5" and "Islands In The Stream", provided the crossover piece of the puzzle and cemented Dolly as a pop legend.
Wirestock Creators, Shutterstock
Darius Rucker
That sense of shock you feel is what we all felt when Darius Rucker of Hootie & The Blowfish (an alternate rock band) released a single called "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" in 2009, followed by an amazing cover of Old Crow Medicine Show's "Wagon Wheel". The sound that you didn't hear at Hootie & The Blowfish was suddenly very country. And of course, "Let Her Cry" would cement this transition perfectly.
Sterling Munksgard, Shutterstock
Faith Hill
Faith Hill released two debut albums: "It Matters To Me" and "Take Me As I Am" in 1993 and 1995, placing her firmly atop the country music charts, with songs on each album reaching the top of the charts three times. In 1997, she released "This Kiss" to huge acclaim and then followed it up with "Breathe" in 1999.
Florida Georgia Line
Another country music band that's straddled the line perfectly between pop and country is Florida Georgia Line. Their upbeat vibe is best seen in their best-known song: "Cruise", which was downloaded over 7 million times, making it the first country song to ever receive the "Diamond" certification for selling more than 10 million copies. FGL incorporates elements from rock and hip-hop in a style that's been dubbed "bro-country".
Lil Nas X
Lil Nas hasn't strayed too far into any other genre than hip-hop since his career began in 2018, with an amalgamation of country and rap, releasing the song "Old Town Road" on TikTok. Since that went viral, he's gone back to releasing hip-hop centric music, but "Old Town Road" will always be the song that brought him fortune and fame.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift burst onto the scene as a teenage sensation when she released "Teardrops On My Guitar" and "Love Story", but in the last five years has explored more indie-pop and folk music, with albums such as Folklore and Evermore.
Everett Collection, Shutterstock
Kane Brown
From homemade roots, Kane Brown's career began with homemade videos of country songs. He covered George Strait's "Yes Or No" and Lee Brice's "I Don't Dance" to high acclaim online. His own single, "Used To Love You Sober", in 2015 received 11 million views in two weeks. In 2018, he began to collaborate with R&B singers like Khalid Robinson and Marshmello, cementing his place as a crossover star.
Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks' unmistakeable twang is quintessentially country, but did you know that he created an alter ego named Chris Gaines to help him break into the rock music scene without having to use his real name? He even released an album entitled Garth Brooks In... The Life Of Chris Gaines, which produced two singles that made it to the Billboard Top 100 chart. That's taking "crossover" to a whole new level.
Library of Congress Life, Wikimedia Commons
Shania Twain
And, of course, the best crossover artist of all time: Canadian singer Shania Twain. Smashing through the country-pop vanguard with her hit "Come On Over" in 1997, Twain would earn two Grammys from that album, which included popular songs like, "You're Still The One".
Who's Your Favorite Country Crossover Artist?
Do you have a favorite artist that's gone back and forth between country and pop? Let us know in the comments and share your favorite songs by them!
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