Country music leverages covers seemingly more than any other genre of music. This practice is not only a testament to the selflessness the genre’s artists reportedly uphold, but it is also evidence that shows the tradition embedded in the musical vehicle. That being so, a plethora of different artists have acquired the rights to old songs and reimagined them in completely original ways. Consequently, they have scored massive success because of it.
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Some of the artists to indulge in covering famous songs include Beyoncé, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, and so many more. However, none of these musicians scored a No. 1 hit for their covers. However, these three musicians did.
“Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker
“Wagon Wheel” is undeniably Darius Rucker’s most popular and successful single. Released in 2013, the song originally belonged to both Bob Dylan and Old Crow Medicine Show, but Rucker was the one who made it a chart-topping success.
Following its 2013 release, Rucker’s cover peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in April after debuting on the chart in January. Furthermore, it was also Rucker’s most successful song to grace the Billboard Hot 100, as it peaked at No. 15 on the pop-dominated chart.
“Fast Car” by Luke Combs
Prior to Luke Combs’ cover, this song belonged to Tracy Chapman. However, after Combs covered the song and garnered massive success with it, the song’s original authorship became a bit more grey, as Combs absolutely made this song his own.
Released in 2023, this song is arguably what made Luke Combs a household name, and respectfully so, as it crushed on the charts. Not only did it peak at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, but it also peaked at No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart. Lastly, it also impressively peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Which in this game is quite rare when it comes to a country song.
“Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton
Many of you might be surprised that Chris Stapleton’s massive country hit wasn’t actually written by him. Originally recorded and released by David Allan Coe, when Stapleton released the song in 2015, the masses believed it to be entirely his own. However, that is not the case, but Stapleton did in fact bring it into the limelight.
When the song was released in 2015, it peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and reached the No. 20 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. To this day, the song remains one of Stapleton’s most successful tracks. However, that wouldn’t be the case if it wasn’t for David Allan Coe.
Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for Concert For Carolina
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