4 Classic Country Songs Based on Historical Events

Country music is known for its storytelling. Sometimes, songwriters will pull stories from their lives or the lives of those around them and create widely relatable songs. Other times, they’ll build timeless tunes around fictional narratives. However, some of the most enduring story songs in country music are about historical events.

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Today, we’re going to look back at a few classic country songs that tell the tales of historical events. Some of these songs pulled their lyrics from the headlines while others lifted theirs from the pages of history books. No matter what inspired them, the history behind the lyrics holds up.

[RELATED: 4 Classic Country Songs That Still Hit Hard Today]

1. “The Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton

A list of classic country songs inspired by historical events wouldn’t be complete without at least one Johnny Horton tune. He included several in his deep catalog including “North to Alaska” about the Alaskan gold rush and “Sink the Bismarck” about the hunt for and sinking of the famed German warship. For this list, though, we’re looking at his Jimmy Driftwood-penned 1959 hit “The Battle of New Orleans.”

The song is a lighthearted retelling of the Battle of New Orleans. The battle between the United States and British forces took place between the signing and ratification of the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812.

2. “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Tony Rice

The Great Lakes Freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank to the bottom of Lake Superior in 1975 taking 29 souls to the icy depths with her. She was the largest ship on the Great Lakes at the time and remains the largest to have sunk there. A year after the tragedy took place, Gordon Lightfoot released his timeless folk song chronicling the voyage and sinking of the ship.

While “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” is based on a historical event, it wasn’t technically a country song when Lightfoot released it. However, many artists have covered the song since its initial release including bluegrass legend Tony Rice.

3. “Remember the Alamo” by Willie Nelson

The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal engagement in the Texas Revolution, a war between the American and Mexican forces for ownership of what would later become the Lone Star State. Folk singer/songwriter Jane Bowers told the story of the nearly two-week battle in her song “Remember the Alamo.”

Tex Ritter was the first of many artists to record the song, releasing his version in 1956. A little more than a decade later, Willie Nelson recorded the song for his 1968 concept album Texas in My Soul.

4. “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde” by Merle Haggard

Some are shocked and appalled by the popularity of true crime today. However, it isn’t a new phenomenon. When Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were robbing banks across middle America in the 1930s, they made headlines across the nation. The outlaw duo’s names remain in the zeitgeist nearly 100 years after they were ambushed and shot down by police in Bienville Parish, Louisiana in 1934.

Merle Haggard condensed the duo’s biography into a two-minute song and released it as a single in 1968. “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde” was the lead single and title track from Haggard’s sixth studio album. It brought him his fourth No. 1 on the country chart.

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