3 Rock Stars Who Made Surprisingly Great Country Music

Rock has its roots in country music. You can trace the lineage of rock back to early country artists, and it still has crossover appeal today. Because of how intertwined these genres are, many rockers have tried their hand at country music. The three rock icons below have surprisingly made pretty great country music.

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Steven Tyler

Steven Tyler is a rock god. There is no denying that’s where he shines the brightest. However, we can’t fault his foray into country music either. His 2016 album, We’re All Somebody from Somewhere, saw the Aerosmith frontman take to Nashville, borrowing many of the city’s sights and sounds. The result was a country blues record that still had some footholds in rock music.

For how odd this could’ve been, this album works well. Tyler’s voice befits the harder edges of country music, muddying the line between the genre and its rock counterparts.

“While I was writing these songs, it wasn’t to write a country record; it was just to write a song with somebody that I had never written with before really,” Tyler once said of this bold gamble of an album. You can feel this easygoing approach while listening to “We’re All Somebody from Somewhere.“ It doesn’t feel like Tyler pandering to a new audience. Instead, it feels like a natural jump for the rock icon.

Tina Turner

There really wasn’t anything Tina Turner couldn’t do. She was a rock queen, but her voice was timeless and universal enough to work in any genre. She proved that with the many country offerings she delivered throughout her career.

Turner’s debut solo album was a country effort titled Tina Turns The Country On! Though Turner certainly adapted these songs to fit her voice, she did justice to several country classics. A standout on the record is Turner’s adaptation of Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through The Night.” Turner makes this song even more seductive somehow, fully leaning into the emotions of the country hit.

Darius Rucker

When we think of rockers who make great country music, Darius Rucker is the person who comes to mind. The Hootie & the Blowfish frontman made one of the most effortless transitions into country music, delivering generational-defining anthems like his version of “Wagon Wheel.”

Rucker isn’t just a rocker who tried on country music for a bit. He’s a full-blown country icon. Few artists have been able to switch genres as effortlessly.

(Photo by Sebastiao Moreira/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)