3 Country Artists From the 90s Who Wrote Songs for Others

Raise your hand if you miss the 1990s. The decade was terrific, especially musically speaking. The eclectic era brought music fans everything from alt-rock to grunge to hip-hop to electronic to even some great country tunes. But some of those country songs boasted a twist—they were written by big-name country stars for other big-name country stars.

Videos by American Songwriter

That’s just what we wanted to explore below. We wanted to dive into three occasions when country stars helped out their peers during the decade. Indeed, these are three country artists from the 90s who wrote songs for others.

Alan Jackson

The Georgia-born Alan Jackson is known for songs like “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” and “Chattahoochee”, but Jackson did just keep his talents all to himself. He also penned tunes for others, including the glamorous country icon Faith Hill. Indeed, Jackson wrote Hill’s emotive hit “I Can’t Do That Anymore”, which today boasts several million streams on YouTube alone. The 1996 song also rose up the ranks and hit No. 8 on the Billboard Country charts in 1997.

Garth Brooks

Country artist Garth Brooks is one of the most successful songwriters and performers in the history of the genre. There aren’t many acts that can fill a sports arena, but in the 90s, Brooks was certainly one of them. With his cowboy hat and passionate tunes, Brooks knew how to connect with fans. But he also helped others write songs, including his now-wife Trisha Yearwood. Indeed, Brooks co-wrote Yearwood’s popular, tear-jerker, “Like We Never Had A Broken Heart”. Maybe that’s the secret to a good relationship—collaboration!

Emily Strayer

Emily Strayer, who is one of the founding members of the country group the Chicks, is no stranger to hit songs. Her group is known for tracks like “Wide Open Spaces” and “Cowboy Take Me Away”. But in the late 90s, Strayer co-wrote the song “Must Be San Antone”, which first appeared in 1999 on songwriter Jim Lauderdale’s LP, Onward Through It All. That lively tune was later covered by artist Sunny Sweeney for her 2006 LP, Heartbreaker’s Hall Of Fame.

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images