3 Rock ‘n’ Roll Artists Who Made the Seamless Step Into Country Music

In recent news, musicians like Post Malone and Machine Gun Kelly have strayed from their original taste to join Nashville’s country music scene. There is seemingly a type of exodus transpiring, as Lana Del Ray and Ed Sheeran reportedly have country albums in the works as well.

Videos by American Songwriter

However, this transition isn’t anything new. Many before have paved the path to Nashville and made it an enticing field for artists to expand on their talents. What is different now, is that people from every genre seem to be considering the jump. In years past, it seemed to be only folks in the rock ‘n’ roll genre. If it weren’t for those rock ‘n’ rollers, the leap of faith could have been viewed as unfathomable. That being so, here are three rock stars who made the initial leap into country music.

1. Bob Dylan

Given his folk career, it did not come as much of a surprise that Bob Dylan transitioned to country. In 1969, Dylan released Nashville Skyline—a true country album from head to toe. The record includes collaborations with Johnny Cash, Robbie Robertson, and some of the best Nashville studio musicians to ever be in the game.

Both an homage to country music and a testament to Dylan’s versatility, the album gave the artist some of his biggest hits. “Girl From The North Country,” “Lay Lady Lay,” and “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” all graced the charts and remain in some of Dylan’s set lists to this day. Lastly, this album helped him land into the Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame in 2002.

2. Darius Rucker

In 2008, Darius Rucker announced that Hootie & The Blowfish would be taking a hiatus. Shortly after, Rucker released his debut country album, Learn To Live. Being from Charleston, South Carolina, country music has always had a place in Rucker’s heart. “I’m going to make a country record someday. I want to do this,” he stated in a PBS interview for Ken Burns’ Country Music documentary.

Rucker has had a historic country music career, particularly with the Old Crow Medicine Show Cover, “Wagon Wheel.” At this point, one could argue it seems more like Rucker’s song than OCMS’ song, as his cover went No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in 2013. Most definitely a future Country Hall of Fame member, Rucker has cemented himself as a country music giant.

3. Ray Charles

Arguably the best blues pianist to have ever lived, Ray Charles made the seamless transition smack-dab in the middle of his career. In 1962, Charles released the album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. Many executives and fans thought this was a major career risk, however, Charles’ genius led him to create an album that became a staple of 20th-century country music.

The album graced the No. 1 spot on the Billboard album chart for 14 weeks. Furthermore, Charles’ cover of Don Gibson’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” gave him one of his biggest hits. Despite that record not being recorded in Nashville, he took over the scene in just one try. Willie Nelson said Charles “did more for country music than any other human being.” Both musically and socially, Charles’ short-lived country career broke down barriers and opened the floodgates to a new kind of sound and a new kind of fan.

Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images