3 Times Faith-Based Music Helped Country Artists Find a Bigger Spotlight

While country and Christian music aren’t synonymous, plenty of country artists have sought to tap into the Christian market. From Randy Travis to Alan Jackson, here are a few faith-based songs and projects that proved that artists could do both genres and still find success.

“Three Wooden Crosses” by Randy Travis

In 2002, “Three Wooden Crosses” gave Randy Travis his first No. 1 single in eight years. In addition, this song won Song of the Year at both the CMAs and the GMAs.

If you’ve ever heard this song, you know it tells a pretty incredible story. Travis sings about a preacher, a teacher, a farmer, and a sex worker traveling on the road. A car accident takes the life of three of the four, leaving only the sex worker, who is revealed to be the narrator’s mother at the end. The narrator is also a preacher and talks about the impact her faith has had on him.

“Three Wooden Crosses” actually ended up being the first song released by a Christian label to reach No. 1 on a country music chart.

“Something In The Water” by Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood had already introduced Christian themes into her music with early hits like “Jesus, Take The Wheel”. However, this 2014 hit about the saving power of baptism showed her audience that not only could she write a song with explicitly Christian motifs, but she could also still find commercial success while doing so. In fact, this Underwood song went No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Hot Christian Songs charts.

Songwriter Brett James, who helped pen “Jesus Take The Wheel”, was also a writer on this song.

‘Precious Memories’ by Alan Jackson

In 2006, Alan Jackson released his album Precious Memories, which contains a series of traditional gospel songs. Jackson had never released a gospel project before. However, that didn’t stop this one from debuting at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart.

Later that year, Jackson also released Like Red On A Rose, which tapped into his more mainstream country side.

“In the past I’ve seen artists in the country field who’ve decided they want to be a little more active in Christian and gospel music, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” he told Today of his decision to release two projects. “But I thought if I’m going to be a mainstream country act I don’t want people to get confused and think I’m not doing country music anymore.”

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