ok they are technically folk rock but country-adjacent in my mind!
i spent a lot of my childhood in various Yeehaw states and small towns in the US so here are some more classics i heard a bit growing up, and a few newer likes š¤ (some are a little folk-leaning):
anything johnny cash!!!
dolly parton (duh) - 9 to 5, jolene
kacey musgraves - good olā boys club, butterflies
hank williams jr - outlaw woman, family traditions
brandi carlile - raise hell
emory quinn - downtown san antone
kenny chesney - no shoes no shirt no problem
the chicks - thereās your trouble, ready to run
willie nelson - mamas donāt let your sons grow up to be cowboys, cowboys are secretly fond of other cowboys
taylor swift (sorry) - picture to burn, our song
woody guthrie - tear the fascists down !!
runaway june - buy my own drinks
maren morris - my church, circles around this town
shania twain - man i feel like a woman!, youāre still the one
darius rucker - wagon wheel
the highwomen - if she ever leaves me
john prine - your flag decal wonāt get you into heaven
orville peck - dead of night, cmon baby cry
george strait - all my exās live in texas
Iām talkin about the classics. I love that spine chilling outlaw shit with lyrics about scary ghost cowboys, sleeping in a boxcar on a moving train, prison blues, repenting for your sins, and being heartbroken. From albums like The Louvin Brothersā āSatan Is Realā (1959), to Johnny Cash's āLive At Folsom Prisonā (1968), to Bruce Springsteenās āNebraskaā (1982), I canāt get enough!
My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebodyābe it a relative or one of my best friendsāwas to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too š