If You Love Wilco or Flying Burrito Brothers, Check Out These 4 Alternative Country Artists

Love some good ol’ alternative country? Alt-country has made a resurgence in recent years at the juncture of country pop, but these four artists were getting weird with a famously traditional genre for decades. Let’s take a look at some trailblazing alternative country artists to add to your playlist, shall we?

1. Lyle Lovett

The legendary Guy Clark once said that Lyle Lovett was one of the greatest alternative country artists of all time. That’s quite a hefty compliment, and we’re inclined to agree. 

Lovett fuses together elements of country with elements of rock and roll, blues, and even gospel. His songwriting ability is also applaudable, and many of his songs feature very uniquely written and clever lyrics. His 1988 album Pontiac is essential listening. But if you want just a taste of his sound, his hit song “Cowboy Man” is a good place to start.

2. Gillian Welch

Gillian Welch first got into music by playing the bass guitar in a gothic rock band as a teenager. When she heard The Stanley Brothers perform for the first time in her life, everything changed. Welch said she had “found [her] music” and produced the 1996 album Revival. 

That record is essential listening, though virtually all of Welch’s albums thus far have featured alternative country sounds in some capacity.

3. Steve Earle

This wouldn’t be a list of alternative country artists without mentioning Steve Earle. He’s just on another level. Earle’s alternative country tunes weaved in and out of rock through the years, but his music seems to just stand outside of labels. Tracks like “Copperhead Road” and “Good-Bye” are still played on rotation through rock radio stations, despite the country elements that are very obvious. He was (and still is) a rebel in Nashville, to say the least.

“I really thought I could save country music,” Earle once said. “I thought not me but I could be part of something that did.”

4. Roseanne Cash

She might technically be a nepo baby, but Roseanne Cash definitely deserves a spot on our list of the best alternative country artists. Her musical ability goes so far beyond her last name. 

Cash is the eldest daughter of Johnny Cash and gained quite a reputation in the country world through the years, namely because she blazed her own path in alternative country music. 10 Song Demo from 1996 is essential listening, though any of her studio albums from the 1980s are also amazing. 

Photo by Oliver Gutfleisch/imageBROKER/Shutterstock

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