Country music is about storytelling, three chords and the truth, and tradition. But country music is also about collaboration, whether you’re talking about Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson or Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson.
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But we’re curious about those collaborations that country music fans haven’t seen yet. What are the duets that people are hoping and wishing for?
Sit back, kick up your spurs, tip your 10-gallon hat, and tune your acoustic, these are five country music collabs we’d love to see.
[RELATED: Historic Harmony: Garth Brooks and Jelly Roll’s AI-Generated Duet Takes Center Stage]
1. Jelly Roll + Garth Brooks
Country music’s newest big name (Jelly Roll) meets perhaps the genre’s biggest—at least when it comes to touring and live shows—this duet would rock the art form. But they aren’t just skilled songwriters and performers. They are both men who know how to connect with audiences on a deep emotional level. And both have friends in, low places, as Garth Brooks might say. We imagine there wouldn’t be a dry eye in the house.
2. Darius Rucker + Lainey Wilson
The positive spirit of this hypothetical duet would replace the need for solar and wind power. We could just use the track to run our cars and lights. Darius Rucker is like your favorite neighbor: kind, calm, and easy to chat with. And Lainey Wilson is like a good friend who is game to head out for a spontaneous road trip. Together, they would provide the soundtrack for a block party or neighborhood gathering.
3. Brittney Spencer + Kane Brown
There’s no two ways about it, Kane Brown and Brittney Spencer, are helping to redefine modern country, both in their catchy, heartfelt music and in the representation they provide for other young country fans. These two know how to captivate listeners. They both have the full package, from pop to traditional, from single to deep cut. Both Brown and Spencer are powerhouses, offering a direct line to the essence of the genre and a new path to the future of it.
4. Zach Bryan + Luke Bryan
Zach Bryan has been in the news lately for hit albums like his 2023 self-titled offering and his 2022 hit, American Heartbreak. And Luke Bryan has been one of the genre’s biggest names for a few decades now. Can you imagine a new single from the Bryan Boys? Nashville might explode into a party should something like that happen!
5. Dolly Parton + Brandi Carlile
These two friends have sung together and covered each other’s songs, but they have yet (as far as we know) to write and record a song together. Carlile helped facilitate Parton’s first appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in 2019 and we hope that this is the spark that leads to much more collaborations from the duo.
Photo Credit: Art Streiber/Courtesy of The Oriel Company
