I got to meet Jewel when she was promoting her country record. Label guy was a friend of mine and he introduced her to me. She's sweet. And mind-paralyzingly beautiful in person. I also remember the push for Steven Tyler's record. Love Is Your Name was a great song. Aaron is sincere. The station I used to work for had a "private" show he played five years in a row just because he loved it so much.
Jewel did a version of Sweet Home Alabama for the credits of 'Sweet Home Alabama'. She did pretty well on it! She's no Lynyrd Skynyrd, but she did pretty well for such an iconic song.
Agree. They are badasses. I'm kind of surprised you didn't at least mention The Highwomen's Brandi Carlile and Amanda Shires who are both from that same singer-songwriter/folk rock genre. Brandi has actually now won the last two Grammy Country Songs of the Year as a songwriter.
I’ve got so much respect for Kelly Clarkson. She’s got a beautiful, powerful voice. The country scene loves her! I really hope Kelly can go country. Not to mention she’s just a beautiful person, inside and out.
I think Darius had a lot of success because he came in ernest. His style with Hootie was already country sounding to a degree. His country music also reminds me of 90s country and I love 90s country! Please can we get a new Wreckers album!
@@futureprez19 I think you are right. The reason it worked in the 90's was that pop music was different, sounded different, and that was a good thing. Today's pop is.... well.... not like the 90's.
Agreed and I think he has a good Balance of Modern sounding Country as well as a more Traditional sound so he can attract both sides of the Country fanbase.
@Greg Elchert Thats true. I do enjoy alot of new country tho and I think he has been able to adapt to the newer sound of country while still keeping a country roots type of sound
Let us not forget that Kelly Clarkson joined Reba McEntire for a duet of a cover of Kelly's own hit "Because of You" - i believe it went to #2 on the country charts around 2006/2007.
Reba also did a song with Justin timberlake as well. Justin does have a country background. He was a kid when he appeared on Star Search singing country songs wearing a cowboy hat. He sang an Alan Jackson song and won that night. There are videos on RUclips singing those songs as a kid.
You can definitely tell when a pop artist that listens to and respects the genre of country crosses over. I was super skeptical when my friend told me, "Hootie (Darius Rucker) is releasing a country record," but you can tell in both the sound of his records and the way he talks about country music that he has a real affinity for the genre.
I would love Kelly to make a country album. She has respect and love for the genre and I think she would make a beautiful album. Especially after her divorce.
You somehow forgot the Eagles. Desperado isn’t even a rock song; it’s pure country all the way. Some more crossover songs include Take It Easy, Take It To The Limit (been covered by many many country stars), Peaceful Eqsy Feeling, Hotel California, and a few others I’m definitely forgetting
Listening to my dad's Eagles records is actually what got me into country. I would argue that they weren't necessarily trying to cross over, but it was just sort of a natural result of Don Henley's Texas country roots and Glen Frey's Detroit rock roots coming together to form that sound. They have definitely influenced generations of country singers, as evidenced by all the heavy hitters on the "Common Thread" album.
Yeah, I would consider much of the Eagles’ early music to be country/folk music, even more than rock. Even a lot of their later stuff would fit right in with modern country. “Get Over It” could easily be a 2010s country song. They didn’t fully become a rock band until the mid-70s, after Joe Walsh replaced Randy Meisner.
@@MBustos828 exactly this. if you watch their documentary it talks about how don henley and glen frey were always trying to pull the band towards rock or country (in opposing directions) and that’s how they ended up with some straight country songs and some classic rock songs under their belt.
The thing that annoys me about 'All Summer Long' is that every time it comes on the radio, I start thinking 'Sweet Home Alabama' and then I'm just kind of, "Oh . . . This again."
@Jessica McDaniels .... Hummm How About YOU Speak For YOURSELF Jessica Kid Rock Is Very Talented Artist ... Perhaps YOU Are Just Tone Deaf My Friend And Simply Aren’t Capable Of Determining What Really Amazing Singer/Music Sounds Like !
Things were different in the 70s, when you had people like John Denver, Linda Ronstadt & Olivia Newton-John all having successful pop & country careers. They just did the music they liked and it fit. There was no blatant attempt to market themselves into another genre.
This is so much fun! I love a good crossover so much. I am really looking forward to Taylor Swift's re-record of her debut album, which is the most straight-up country record she's done. The country-pop on Fearless is still impeccable. And Kylie Minogue only dabbled for an album, but "Dancing" was a great country-pop bop
Sheryl Crow's Feels Like Home is such a great *underrated* album that I always come back to! Waterproof Mascara, Calling Me When I'm Lonely... that whole album is stacked
I didn’t even know he was a pop/rock singer previously. He’s legit and other than Darius Rucker the only real successful transition to Country. Good for him, have even more respect for him doing it on his own terms.
Cassadee Pope who had her own pop band 'Hey Monday' and they released two albums. Then she went on 'The Voice' and won, and Blake Shelton groomed her into a country singer, and she released a country album called 'Frame By Frame' which i think did moderately well. Personally, i liked her better when she was pop.
Dallas Smith - mentioned in your Canadian Country video - did that. The guest mentioned that he had success in the band Default, then went full country.
Hmmmm Imma gonna have to try and find that! One of my favorite Alt Country acts is Drag the River, which is made up of members of 2 less successful punk rocker bands!
the country-jazz fusion that Norah Jones does in songs like “How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart”, “Creepin’ in” w Dolly, and “Help Me Make it Through the Night” are really amazing. She’s my favourite pop-crossover artist albeit she sits more in the jazz pop category.
I’ll say, I was not raised on country music. I started performing out around 12 and by high school was accompanying myself with my guitar. I would sing some indie songs, some pop songs, and then a song like “leave the pieces.” I would always get the most reaction to the country songs. People would come up to me and say, “you’re meant to be singing country” after hearing this for years, the country fans being so loyal, and living in a southern florida town I switched to just performing country. And I had a pretty good run. I was on American Idol, made a full living as a musician, opened for artist like Brantley Gilbert and Easton Corbin. I stopped playing a year ago for health reasons. It was a very sad decision and although I’ll always love country, I don’t listen to it much anymore. I always love watching your videos though because I remember why I fell in love with it.
What a beautiful, bittersweet comment. Thank you for sharing your story. Congratulations on your success. I truly wish you good health, peace, and hope that you can find your love for music again. All the best.
Mark Knopfler, from the Dire Straits, has been also been putting out a lot of country stuff. I think he deserves much more credit, I think his music is brilliant.
Two big hits in the '90s were "When It Comes To You" by John Anderson and "The Bug" by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Both songs were on the Dire Straits album On Every Street.
I would love to hear a country version of Sultans of Swing. It's already pretty acoustic, but maybe a little fiddle, mandolin, or steel could really make it hit in Nashville. Knopfler is such a guitar legend!
Never been this early for a Grady video. Maybe there's a better chance you'll see it, but thanks for reviving my love for country music! Videos keep getting better. Keep it up, brother man!
I love when artists want to venture into country if they do it with respect and truly embrace the heart of country music. Too many stick to the stereotype of country people and country music, and just end up mocking it. Sorry country music does not need to be disrupted, we’ve already had all this pop and bro country do that. I’m ready for people to bring it back to the 90s and 80s and before, no matter who the artist is.
Good point on the mid-90's singer song writers going country. When you think about it, the biggest mid-90's "pop" music was counting crows and almost soft acoustic. So it's easy to switch over to country. I do wonder if you have thoughts on the late 2000's folk revival with Bon Iver, Mumford and Songs and Fleetfox, and if they would shift to an indie type country, ala Isbell or Childers type sound.
I am so glad Aaron Lewis finally got mentioned on this channel. He has been one of my favorites for years now and I'm finally getting to see him in concert in May
Colbie Caillat was one of the most successful pop stars back in the day who had some Billboard hits like Realize and Bubbly, then never heard from her for a few years starting from 2014, then in 2019 she formed a country band called Gone West whose songs are really good, but broke up quickly last November 2020 and I don't know why, but Gone West could have been a hit country group.
Loved the video as always. I think at the end when you mentioned wanting to see people truly commit is the thing I want the most too. It feels so often pop stars (and some modern country stars) just want to make a pop song that includes some "country words"
Lost Highway was a great album. Especially "I Love This Town." Did a killer music video to promote the 2008 MLB Playoffs. Just a bunch of players singing along into baseball bats.
@Jessica McDaniels Put “Wanted Dead Or Alive” up against a lot of what’s on the radio and it probably will feel a lot more country. But it’s a great song, and I really like Bon Jovi for what they were in the 80’s.
Charlie Puth on I Hope was the only pop country mashup that didn't feel weird to me in recent memory. Anyways, keep doing your thing man! Recently discovered the channel and I've been checking out the backlog! Great content!! 🤘🙏
You actually brought up a few of my favourite artists in this video! Kid Rocks "Born Free" and Laura Bell Bundy's "Achin' and Shakin'" are great albums (Both released in 2010 I think so maybe that was the year for it! Thought Lionel Ritchie's "Tuskeegee" album John Fogarty's "Wrote A Song For Everyone" albums may have got a mention but maybe these Country Collaboration albums need a video of their own! (The Doobie Brothers "Southbound" comes to mind band I'm sure there are many more!). Thanks for the upload
a rapper named RMR did a coverish version of a rascall flatts "these days" and then uses the tune of "bless the broken road" to tell his own story in the song. i love it! it's a great little cover/ crossover/ tribute combo. also RFs record label tried to be like oh no you better pay us but rascall flatts liked it so much they didnt go after him for copyright bs
@Grady Smith, I absolutely love this video. You mention people I really enjoy. Darius Rucker has been one of my favorite country singers since he broke into country (I was a huge Hootie fan to start). I was never a Staind fan, but Aaron Lewis is doing country justice, in my opinion. His song, Massachusetts, is one of my all time favorite songs. Not many country songs are about my home state and it speaks to me on a deep level. Oh and Kelly's hit with Vince, Don't Rush, awesome. You missed Train. The song with Ashley Monroe, Bruises, is a great borderline country song. Uncle Kracker's country stuff was good, especially Good to Be Me with Kid Rock. Bon Jovi's country album kicked ass, and P!nk's song with KC was outstanding. Listen to her song, I Have Seen the Rain, with her dad about her dad's time in Vietnam, is a real soul-grabber. No list would be complete without Jimmy Buffett. One of my all time favorite's. He practically invented his own breed of music, with the Gulf and Western sound. It' 5 O'Clock Somewhere and Hey Good Lookin were commercial hits, but a lot of his music was country for years. Listen to Ringling Ringling, Savannah Fare You Well and Why Don't We Get Drunk, these are all excellent country-style songs from him.
Had to give this comment a heart because Bruises is truly one of the most underrated songs of my lifetime. I legitimately love it and listen to it all the time
Grady, you are far and away creating the best music journalism anywhere, not just RUclips. Thoughtful, analytical and with a self-evident passion for the genre. Keep it up and regards from small town Canada.
The most authentic country artist I've listened to is Dwight Yoakam. He's dueted with others, but always stays true to his style. When I listen to certain songs of his, I'd swear I'm hearing The Eagles in parts. Hope he tours again when this pandemic lifts enough to do so safely.
Aaron Lewis country is awesome. Deserves much more attention on country radio than it gets. Actor Christian Kane has released some country material, also pretty good but utterly unheard except maybe a song called Thinking Of You
I agree with you man, I actually like his country. He is what got me back listening to some of the new outlaw country. I'm tend to be more of a metalhead myself, but I heard Aaron, then I found Colter Wall, Tyler Childers, Cody Jinks, Stergel Simpson.... Ths is my kind of country, takes me to Willie, Waylon, Merle and so on...
I’m not against the idea of anyone wanting to try some other style of music out. Usually for country, I do prefer their music to feel “authentic” or authentically them, but ultimately I’ll either like it or I won’t as some will do better than others. I’m intrigued to see Post Malone do a country album, but I also want to see him do a rock album. I’m also not against the idea of artists who started out in country making other genres of pop music. Kacey Musgraves has flirted with synth-pop and Synthwave-adjacent music, and I’d be interested in hearing her make a full-on outrun album.
I would be so excited about Miley recording a country music album.I have downloaded that Jolene cover from YT and listened to it on repeat! She really has a good voice for country.
I’m not a big fan of straight country, but I definitely like some country-adjacent music like Michelle Branch and Jewel. My tastes are more pop-punk and eurodance, and I think a lot of pop artists like trying country-flavored music instead of straight country but have no idea how to execute such a work. Also, I had totally forgotten about Laura Bell Bundy’s dance-country attempt. In my mind, she’ll always be Elle Woods
This was a great analysis of the emotions that I personally get when crossovers happen. I frequently listen to country, rock, and pop, and think this was spot on. Thank you!
I'm not a giant country fan. But I will listen to it from time to time. I think the struggle some of these pop stars have with trying to go country is they have ZERO clue how to tell a story with their music. You take a pop star like say Rihanna who can belt out a note, but her songs are like what 15 words at most repeated for 4 minutes, hardly story telling. Especially when you compare it to older country stars like Reba, or Dolly both of which can also belt out a note, but they know how to tell a story with their songs.
I loved the SoCal country rock sound of Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Poco, Pure Prairie League, JD Souther, and Bob Seger. I wish there was a "Neo" version of this genre the would come back.
Literally just talked about this is my pop music seminar class yesterday... crazy how much it is the sound that impacts how people are either going to fit in or be criticized
My favorite "country" songs by pop stars Dancing by Kylie Minogue July by Noah Cyrus Million Reasons by Lady Gaga Not Fair by Lily Allen Meant to Be by Bebe Rexha
🤯WOW! @Grady Smith, u are absolutely my soul👫sibling!! I couldn't have agreed more with literally every single point u made in this vid, nor could I have chosen to reference any better artists & songs than u did! I swear it felt like u were reading my thoughts, WORD FOR EVERY SINGLE WORD! It was totally weird, but in a good way...a "glitch in the matrix" as I've heard it put in recent years, Lol.😜 I'm newly subscribed to ur channel(one of my greater "quarantine decisions"🙆🏼♀️) & I most def look forward to seeing lots more of ur content! 💯Keep up the good work, bro!💯
I absolutely love this video. I love the depth in which dive into specific examples that everyone knows about without ever truly thinking about. I hate to say that you “overthink” things because it always makes for great videos, but you kind of do lol. Don’t change Grady. Keep up the great work.
@@BradOlsonBemidji There were a lot of acts that were soft rock that went country. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Exile, Vince Gill from Pure Prairie League, Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, Van Stephenson and then you got the Van Zant brothers (one from Lynyrd Skynyrd and the other from 38 Special. Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young came from this genre as well.
@@Spitfirethedragon Actually, the first Glen Campbell album came out in 1962 and is a Bluegrass album called Big Bluegrass Special, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had their legendary Will The Circle Be Unbroken album from 1972 featuring many early country and Bluegrass pioneers, Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young were LA country-rock pioneers. Vince Gill before Pure Prairie League started out in the Bluegrass bands Boone Creek and Bluegrass Alliance.
Also, Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town was written by country legend Mel Tillis, who first recorded it and the first charted version of it was by Johnny Darrell in 1967
@@walkerallen124 Okay - I have a confession to make: I meant to write Conway Twitty on the above post, not Waylon. Admittedly not a great a mistake to make, but that's who I was really thinking of!
Watching this made me feel like I was at a black church in the south. I was constantly saying "Amen!", "Mmhmm", etc. This kind of stuff infuriates me. Thank you for shedding light on this
Sheryl Crow and Jewel are so damn underrated! Going to revisit both their popular and country stuff following this. Also have to mention Australia's "pop princess" Kylie Minogue doing the Nashville thing for 'Golden'. It didn't pretend to be too country and took elements and mixed it in with her usual pop. 'Dancing' is a frivolous fun camp pop (with country elements) song, while 'A Lifetime to Repair' is a little closer to the genre. If it's done with love, I'm a fan.
I actually really liked the Zac Brown/ Danielle Bradbey collab on the Diplo album. And as someone who blasted Michelle Branch religiously. I really can't wait for The Wreckers new music
"Picture" could have been a rock, country, or blues song. A slightly different instrumentality would have pushed it further, but it still fit better than a lot of so called country songs at the time.
As a pretty big Bon Jovi fan in general, Lost Highway isn't my favorite of their albums, but I do genuinely love "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore," the duet he did with LeAnn Rimes
Had a ton of fun making this one, and mainly, I left the editing process thinking Sheryl Crow and Jewel are kinda fascinating/underrated badasses.
you’re either extremely knowledgeable or you REALLY do your research, either way these videos have to take forever to make.
I got to meet Jewel when she was promoting her country record. Label guy was a friend of mine and he introduced her to me. She's sweet. And mind-paralyzingly beautiful in person. I also remember the push for Steven Tyler's record. Love Is Your Name was a great song. Aaron is sincere. The station I used to work for had a "private" show he played five years in a row just because he loved it so much.
Jewel did a version of Sweet Home Alabama for the credits of 'Sweet Home Alabama'. She did pretty well on it! She's no Lynyrd Skynyrd, but she did pretty well for such an iconic song.
Don't forget Cassadee Pope from Hey Monday originally!
Agree. They are badasses. I'm kind of surprised you didn't at least mention The Highwomen's Brandi Carlile and Amanda Shires who are both from that same singer-songwriter/folk rock genre. Brandi has actually now won the last two Grammy Country Songs of the Year as a songwriter.
I’ve got so much respect for Kelly Clarkson. She’s got a beautiful, powerful voice. The country scene loves her! I really hope Kelly can go country.
Not to mention she’s just a beautiful person, inside and out.
I think Darius had a lot of success because he came in ernest. His style with Hootie was already country sounding to a degree. His country music also reminds me of 90s country and I love 90s country! Please can we get a new Wreckers album!
true. I feel like if Hootie and the Blowfish came out today, they would be on country radio
@@futureprez19 I think you are right. The reason it worked in the 90's was that pop music was different, sounded different, and that was a good thing. Today's pop is.... well.... not like the 90's.
@@dm9489 true, IMHO Hootie was folk music with a touch of alternative and frat rock
Agreed and I think he has a good Balance of Modern sounding Country as well as a more Traditional sound so he can attract both sides of the Country fanbase.
@Greg Elchert Thats true. I do enjoy alot of new country tho and I think he has been able to adapt to the newer sound of country while still keeping a country roots type of sound
The late Avicii with his songs, Hey Brother and Wake Me Up could probably qualify as country EDM, if such things exist.
Let us not forget that Kelly Clarkson joined Reba McEntire for a duet of a cover of Kelly's own hit "Because of You" - i believe it went to #2 on the country charts around 2006/2007.
I still think of this version of the song as the main one because it was so good! It's actually the go-to when I think of Kelly.
Kelly has also recorded with Blake Shelton, Ronnie Dunn, and Dan + Shay
I mean Kelly is from Texas so she grew up around country and probably sang it growing up.
Reba also did a song with Justin timberlake as well. Justin does have a country background. He was a kid when he appeared on Star Search singing country songs wearing a cowboy hat. He sang an Alan Jackson song and won that night. There are videos on RUclips singing those songs as a kid.
Dolly, while a great singer, was one of the first and worst offenders with pop country...
I know the answer! They put on boots. They go back to their roots. They get a new kind of suit.
Lollll
@@GradySmith #GoneCountry
When I saw the title of the video, the same song came into mind 😂
🤣🤣🤣
You can definitely tell when a pop artist that listens to and respects the genre of country crosses over. I was super skeptical when my friend told me, "Hootie (Darius Rucker) is releasing a country record," but you can tell in both the sound of his records and the way he talks about country music that he has a real affinity for the genre.
He recently bought a house here in Nashville. Must be planning to stay awhile.
I would love Kelly to make a country album. She has respect and love for the genre and I think she would make a beautiful album. Especially after her divorce.
definitely. she has a natural Texas accent, but when she sings, it's very R&B and soulful. she would make a wonderful country singer.
Didn’t she start off country
@@raegankoncaba8209 no. Not really. She has sang it before. But she won idol as a pop singer.
Exactly! I adore Don’t Rush. I think she could do great things with a full country album
My fav yet
Whoa my favorite Home Free member enters the chat!
Same, for this year 🙂
You somehow forgot the Eagles. Desperado isn’t even a rock song; it’s pure country all the way. Some more crossover songs include Take It Easy, Take It To The Limit (been covered by many many country stars), Peaceful Eqsy Feeling, Hotel California, and a few others I’m definitely forgetting
Listening to my dad's Eagles records is actually what got me into country. I would argue that they weren't necessarily trying to cross over, but it was just sort of a natural result of Don Henley's Texas country roots and Glen Frey's Detroit rock roots coming together to form that sound. They have definitely influenced generations of country singers, as evidenced by all the heavy hitters on the "Common Thread" album.
Yeah, I would consider much of the Eagles’ early music to be country/folk music, even more than rock. Even a lot of their later stuff would fit right in with modern country. “Get Over It” could easily be a 2010s country song.
They didn’t fully become a rock band until the mid-70s, after Joe Walsh replaced Randy Meisner.
Seven Bridges Road too with those bluegrass-style harmonies
@@annaheetderks8696 In fact, this is a cover of a song written and first recorded by outlaw country pioneer Steve Young.
@@MBustos828 exactly this. if you watch their documentary it talks about how don henley and glen frey were always trying to pull the band towards rock or country (in opposing directions) and that’s how they ended up with some straight country songs and some classic rock songs under their belt.
The thing that annoys me about 'All Summer Long' is that every time it comes on the radio, I start thinking 'Sweet Home Alabama' and then I'm just kind of, "Oh . . . This again."
@Jessica McDaniels .... Hummm How About YOU Speak For YOURSELF Jessica Kid Rock Is Very Talented Artist ... Perhaps YOU Are Just Tone Deaf My Friend And Simply Aren’t Capable Of Determining What Really Amazing Singer/Music Sounds Like !
In KR's defense I don't think he tries to be country. I think he just makes the music he wants.
Not sure why, the sample in the beginning, and most of the song even, is "Werewolves of London"
Werewolves , Sweet Home both have identical chord structure .
and werewolves of london
Kelly stans will forever be waiting for that country album. I think she wants to make it, but who knows what her label is making her do...
I was literally about to comment the same thing. lol
Lets just take a moment to appreciate the amout of time he has to spend editing these videos!!
Heyo thanks!
Things were different in the 70s, when you had people like John Denver, Linda Ronstadt & Olivia Newton-John all having successful pop & country careers. They just did the music they liked and it fit. There was no blatant attempt to market themselves into another genre.
This is so much fun! I love a good crossover so much.
I am really looking forward to Taylor Swift's re-record of her debut album, which is the most straight-up country record she's done. The country-pop on Fearless is still impeccable.
And Kylie Minogue only dabbled for an album, but "Dancing" was a great country-pop bop
Post Malone will definitely make a country album at some point and I’m excited for it.
I am so waiting for him and Sturg to drop an album together
Autotune country.
@@kalemorrow2243 nah he actually has serious country talent
Have you seen the video of him singing Brad Paisley? I really liked it.
Jonah Menikoff That would be amazing!
Sheryl Crow's Feels Like Home is such a great *underrated* album that I always come back to! Waterproof Mascara, Calling Me When I'm Lonely... that whole album is stacked
I was just relistening tonight and completely agree!
Beyonce dipped her toes in with 'Daddy Issues' off lemonade a couple of years ago, which is a great song!!
Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock’s “Picture” was a fantastic country song.
Plus it's also kid Rock's good listenable song (Mark of spectrum Pulse says his country music material is good but I'm not going to take the chances)
@Jessica McDaniels Did you really refer to Alison Krauss as ear bleeding no talent?
@Jessica McDaniels you lost all credibility when you said Alison Krause is “ear bleeding” and “no talent”.
I agree, but because it was also a crossover hit, I just got tired of it. It played ALL THE TIME.
Grady never fails to deliver. I discover or rediscover a new song every video! This time it was "Leave The Pieces" by The Wreckers.
Aaron Lewis is a more authentic country singer than 95% of nashville. His latest unnamed song "Am i the only one" is Pure country.
Dude I love Aaron Lewis. His song Northern Redneck really hits home for me because I love country and I'm from Pennsylvania
I didn’t even know he was a pop/rock singer previously. He’s legit and other than Darius Rucker the only real successful transition to Country. Good for him, have even more respect for him doing it on his own terms.
True
I found it sad it took an alternative rock singer to restore my faith in country music.
he is a sellout making pander trash 'make murica great again' music. He is about as authentic as a set of fake tits.
I'm so here for the Wreckers!!
Women musicians normally bore me but the wreckers were awesome.
In Canada Dallas Smith is a huge example of a Popstar that went country and is killing it!
Can’t forget Kelly Clarkson’s early work with Reba on “Because of You”, CMT Crossroads, and touring!
Cassadee Pope who had her own pop band 'Hey Monday' and they released two albums. Then she went on 'The Voice' and won, and Blake Shelton groomed her into a country singer, and she released a country album called 'Frame By Frame' which i think did moderately well. Personally, i liked her better when she was pop.
"When Nashville stars stop being relevant, they go to Branson" 😂😂😂 Spoken like a true southerner... I love it!
Dallas Smith - mentioned in your Canadian Country video - did that. The guest mentioned that he had success in the band Default, then went full country.
Cody Jinks started out playing in a thrash metal band before he moved into country music. Sure am glad he went country
Hmmmm Imma gonna have to try and find that! One of my favorite Alt Country acts is Drag the River, which is made up of members of 2 less successful punk rocker bands!
the country-jazz fusion that Norah Jones does in songs like “How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart”, “Creepin’ in” w Dolly, and “Help Me Make it Through the Night” are really amazing. She’s my favourite pop-crossover artist albeit she sits more in the jazz pop category.
She has even done adult alternative pop-rock as well.
I’ll say, I was not raised on country music. I started performing out around 12 and by high school was accompanying myself with my guitar. I would sing some indie songs, some pop songs, and then a song like “leave the pieces.” I would always get the most reaction to the country songs. People would come up to me and say, “you’re meant to be singing country” after hearing this for years, the country fans being so loyal, and living in a southern florida town I switched to just performing country. And I had a pretty good run. I was on American Idol, made a full living as a musician, opened for artist like Brantley Gilbert and Easton Corbin. I stopped playing a year ago for health reasons. It was a very sad decision and although I’ll always love country, I don’t listen to it much anymore. I always love watching your videos though because I remember why I fell in love with it.
What a beautiful, bittersweet comment. Thank you for sharing your story. Congratulations on your success. I truly wish you good health, peace, and hope that you can find your love for music again. All the best.
@@BrittsBites402 Aw! Thank you so much!
Awesome video. Great rundown of the subject and the people involved.
Cyndi Lauper also went country. Her country album reached #4 on the billboard country charts
Unlike many Pop artists Cindy can sing. She has more talent in little finger than most Pop artists.
Mark Knopfler, from the Dire Straits, has been also been putting out a lot of country stuff. I think he deserves much more credit, I think his music is brilliant.
Isn't that more Folk though..
Mark Knopfler is pretty underrated in general.
Two big hits in the '90s were "When It Comes To You" by John Anderson and "The Bug" by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Both songs were on the Dire Straits album On Every Street.
I would love to hear a country version of Sultans of Swing. It's already pretty acoustic, but maybe a little fiddle, mandolin, or steel could really make it hit in Nashville. Knopfler is such a guitar legend!
Never been this early for a Grady video. Maybe there's a better chance you'll see it, but thanks for reviving my love for country music! Videos keep getting better. Keep it up, brother man!
Your analysis of these topics is so insightful, informative and important.
I love when artists want to venture into country if they do it with respect and truly embrace the heart of country music. Too many stick to the stereotype of country people and country music, and just end up mocking it. Sorry country music does not need to be disrupted, we’ve already had all this pop and bro country do that. I’m ready for people to bring it back to the 90s and 80s and before, no matter who the artist is.
Totally
Well said
Back porch bottle service gives me Vietnam flashbacks
Good point on the mid-90's singer song writers going country. When you think about it, the biggest mid-90's "pop" music was counting crows and almost soft acoustic. So it's easy to switch over to country. I do wonder if you have thoughts on the late 2000's folk revival with Bon Iver, Mumford and Songs and Fleetfox, and if they would shift to an indie type country, ala Isbell or Childers type sound.
I am so glad Aaron Lewis finally got mentioned on this channel. He has been one of my favorites for years now and I'm finally getting to see him in concert in May
Colbie Caillat was one of the most successful pop stars back in the day who had some Billboard hits like Realize and Bubbly, then never heard from her for a few years starting from 2014, then in 2019 she formed a country band called Gone West whose songs are really good, but broke up quickly last November 2020 and I don't know why, but Gone West could have been a hit country group.
I miss watching CMT Crossroads ... Kid and Hank, Bon Jovi and Sugarland, etc.
Taylor & Def Leppard was awesome as well!
Loved the video as always. I think at the end when you mentioned wanting to see people truly commit is the thing I want the most too. It feels so often pop stars (and some modern country stars) just want to make a pop song that includes some "country words"
“Wanted Dead Or Alive” is still a jam. Still a big fan of their first four albums, but still haven’t checked out their Lost Highway album yet.
Lost Highway was a great album. Especially "I Love This Town." Did a killer music video to promote the 2008 MLB Playoffs. Just a bunch of players singing along into baseball bats.
@@dtfrancis8888 I’ve honestly meant to listen to it for quite a while but never did. I’ll check it out!
@Jessica McDaniels Put “Wanted Dead Or Alive” up against a lot of what’s on the radio and it probably will feel a lot more country. But it’s a great song, and I really like Bon Jovi for what they were in the 80’s.
Charlie Puth on I Hope was the only pop country mashup that didn't feel weird to me in recent memory.
Anyways, keep doing your thing man! Recently discovered the channel and I've been checking out the backlog! Great content!! 🤘🙏
I thought Charlie's voice sounded really autotuned
You actually brought up a few of my favourite artists in this video! Kid Rocks "Born Free" and Laura Bell Bundy's "Achin' and Shakin'" are great albums (Both released in 2010 I think so maybe that was the year for it! Thought Lionel Ritchie's "Tuskeegee" album John Fogarty's "Wrote A Song For Everyone" albums may have got a mention but maybe these Country Collaboration albums need a video of their own! (The Doobie Brothers "Southbound" comes to mind band I'm sure there are many more!).
Thanks for the upload
a rapper named RMR did a coverish version of a rascall flatts "these days" and then uses the tune of "bless the broken road" to tell his own story in the song. i love it! it's a great little cover/ crossover/ tribute combo. also RFs record label tried to be like oh no you better pay us but rascall flatts liked it so much they didnt go after him for copyright bs
I am still convinced that you can add a steel guitar to a handful of Staind songs and they would still be amazing.
@Grady Smith, I absolutely love this video. You mention people I really enjoy. Darius Rucker has been one of my favorite country singers since he broke into country (I was a huge Hootie fan to start). I was never a Staind fan, but Aaron Lewis is doing country justice, in my opinion. His song, Massachusetts, is one of my all time favorite songs. Not many country songs are about my home state and it speaks to me on a deep level. Oh and Kelly's hit with Vince, Don't Rush, awesome.
You missed Train. The song with Ashley Monroe, Bruises, is a great borderline country song. Uncle Kracker's country stuff was good, especially Good to Be Me with Kid Rock. Bon Jovi's country album kicked ass, and P!nk's song with KC was outstanding. Listen to her song, I Have Seen the Rain, with her dad about her dad's time in Vietnam, is a real soul-grabber.
No list would be complete without Jimmy Buffett. One of my all time favorite's. He practically invented his own breed of music, with the Gulf and Western sound. It' 5 O'Clock Somewhere and Hey Good Lookin were commercial hits, but a lot of his music was country for years. Listen to Ringling Ringling, Savannah Fare You Well and Why Don't We Get Drunk, these are all excellent country-style songs from him.
Had to give this comment a heart because Bruises is truly one of the most underrated songs of my lifetime. I legitimately love it and listen to it all the time
@@GradySmith it was one of my daughter's favorite songs when she was little. Made it all the more special for me, to hear a 2 year old singing along.
Buffett was even played on country radio back in the 70s.
I like the shirt pull down at 9:03 Grady
Grady, you are far and away creating the best music journalism anywhere, not just RUclips. Thoughtful, analytical and with a self-evident passion for the genre. Keep it up and regards from small town Canada.
Loved this overview Grady!! Awesome video
Love ur videos will u do Taylor Swift Fearless (Taylor's Version) review?
I am 54 years-old who grew up with the classic Country singers.....this modern music I can't really tell the difference in Pop and Country.
The most authentic country artist I've listened to is Dwight Yoakam. He's dueted with others, but always stays true to his style. When I listen to certain songs of his, I'd swear I'm hearing The Eagles in parts. Hope he tours again when this pandemic lifts enough to do so safely.
"looked like your crazy aunt in a wind machine it's just ... lots of scarves" hahaha
Cassadee Pope has had some success coming to country after her time with Hey Monday (and the voice)
Yep, and for my money, I really liked Hey Monday WAY better. Her voice on a country album was just not.... good. imo
I've literally never heard a Cassadee Pope song on the radio.
@@lwilliams7448 Wasting All These Tears was a minor hit on country radio at the time.
@@lwilliams7448 She dueted with Chris Young on “Think of You” which went #1 on US Country Airplay
LOVE AARON LEWIS!! He’s genuinely someone that doesn’t care what the mainstream say or is popular!
Awesome in concert too
Agree. Love his stuff. Genuine.
Shorty G - I was going to see him live before the plague started. Hope to see him soon.
Aaron Lewis country is awesome. Deserves much more attention on country radio than it gets. Actor Christian Kane has released some country material, also pretty good but utterly unheard except maybe a song called Thinking Of You
I agree with you man, I actually like his country. He is what got me back listening to some of the new outlaw country. I'm tend to be more of a metalhead myself, but I heard Aaron, then I found Colter Wall, Tyler Childers, Cody Jinks, Stergel Simpson....
Ths is my kind of country, takes me to Willie, Waylon, Merle and so on...
I’m not against the idea of anyone wanting to try some other style of music out. Usually for country, I do prefer their music to feel “authentic” or authentically them, but ultimately I’ll either like it or I won’t as some will do better than others. I’m intrigued to see Post Malone do a country album, but I also want to see him do a rock album.
I’m also not against the idea of artists who started out in country making other genres of pop music. Kacey Musgraves has flirted with synth-pop and Synthwave-adjacent music, and I’d be interested in hearing her make a full-on outrun album.
Kacey shouldn't be a surprising thing her music i pop-folk, country-folk
I miss the Wreckers! Stand Still, Look Pretty was such a great album! Really hope they make a comeback.
That kelly Clarkson and Vince gill song is GREAT!Thanks for featuring it along with he wreckers!
I would be so excited about Miley recording a country music album.I have downloaded that Jolene cover from YT and listened to it on repeat! She really has a good voice for country.
@Alejandro-gk9jw good to know!
I’m not a big fan of straight country, but I definitely like some country-adjacent music like Michelle Branch and Jewel. My tastes are more pop-punk and eurodance, and I think a lot of pop artists like trying country-flavored music instead of straight country but have no idea how to execute such a work. Also, I had totally forgotten about Laura Bell Bundy’s dance-country attempt. In my mind, she’ll always be Elle Woods
I miss the wreckers!!! You’re awesome 👏🏼 thanks so much for making these
This was a great analysis of the emotions that I personally get when crossovers happen. I frequently listen to country, rock, and pop, and think this was spot on. Thank you!
Ahhhhhhhh I forgot about so many of these absolute classics. I haven't heard The Wreckers in forever.
I'm not a giant country fan. But I will listen to it from time to time. I think the struggle some of these pop stars have with trying to go country is they have ZERO clue how to tell a story with their music. You take a pop star like say Rihanna who can belt out a note, but her songs are like what 15 words at most repeated for 4 minutes, hardly story telling. Especially when you compare it to older country stars like Reba, or Dolly both of which can also belt out a note, but they know how to tell a story with their songs.
So many good points, incredible delivery. Your takes on country resonate and make people think. You nailed this content
I'm sitting here waiting everyday for Post Malone to make a country album!
@Jamie Galvan every year? maybe THIS year. Our record and reputation speaks for itself! :)
I loved the SoCal country rock sound of Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Poco, Pure Prairie League, JD Souther, and Bob Seger. I wish there was a "Neo" version of this genre the would come back.
As a dude from LA your stagecoach analogy was perfect.
I loved The Wreckers especially My Oh My. I have that one in my Bluegrass playlist. I hope they come back!
Not reeeeallllyyy country but Michael Bublé’s and Blake Shelton singing “home” together was a great country and pop combo moment
Well, when mainstream country music started using overused pop tracks.....the cross over became so much easier.
Literally just talked about this is my pop music seminar class yesterday... crazy how much it is the sound that impacts how people are either going to fit in or be criticized
Pink did a full country/folk album with dallas green called you+me which personally I really love
You+Me wasn't just the name of the album, it's also their duo name. They still perform together from time to time.
I am glad you mentioned Aaron Lewis. Really do like what he did and how he did it, and continues to put out good music in the outlaw country space.
My favorite "country" songs by pop stars
Dancing by Kylie Minogue
July by Noah Cyrus
Million Reasons by Lady Gaga
Not Fair by Lily Allen
Meant to Be by Bebe Rexha
Miley's Nothing Breaks Like a Heart sounds like a decent country disco song. Try it
@@wzwzwz OMG YES, it was a big hit here in Europe! It peaked #2 in my country, truly one of Miley's best songs and music video!
🤯WOW! @Grady Smith, u are absolutely my soul👫sibling!! I couldn't have agreed more with literally every single point u made in this vid, nor could I have chosen to reference any better artists & songs than u did! I swear it felt like u were reading my thoughts, WORD FOR EVERY SINGLE WORD! It was totally weird, but in a good way...a "glitch in the matrix" as I've heard it put in recent years, Lol.😜 I'm newly subscribed to ur channel(one of my greater "quarantine decisions"🙆🏼♀️) & I most def look forward to seeing lots more of ur content! 💯Keep up the good work, bro!💯
oLd ToWn RoAd Is mY fAvOrIte CoUnTry sOng!
Your best video yet. Production and content top notch! Your hours of research shows!
I don't even listen to country music, but for some reason I find these videos about it very interesting and really enjoy this channel.
And then there's me just waiting for James Hetfield to put out a country album...
well, we have mama said, it's almost there XD
@@Attila_Beregi he did a waylon jennings cover too
How did you fail to mention Kelly Clarkson's awesome duet with Reba?
You have done a great job on this one!
Colbie Caillat made an attempt at Country with Gone West. They did put out a couple of albums before disbanding.
All I can think of is the Alan Jackson song, “Gone Country”.....
I absolutely love this video. I love the depth in which dive into specific examples that everyone knows about without ever truly thinking about. I hate to say that you “overthink” things because it always makes for great videos, but you kind of do lol. Don’t change Grady. Keep up the great work.
Dan Seals (R.I.P.) was a terrific country singer after a very successful pop career (England Dan and John Ford Coley).
He had so many great country hits. Everything That Glitters is an all-time classic.
@Jessica McDaniels They were soft rock. Pick up a best of compilation of their work or search for it here on RUclips and enjoy
@@BradOlsonBemidji There were a lot of acts that were soft rock that went country. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Exile, Vince Gill from Pure Prairie League, Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, Van Stephenson and then you got the Van Zant brothers (one from Lynyrd Skynyrd and the other from 38 Special. Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young came from this genre as well.
@@Spitfirethedragon Actually, the first Glen Campbell album came out in 1962 and is a Bluegrass album called Big Bluegrass Special, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had their legendary Will The Circle Be Unbroken album from 1972 featuring many early country and Bluegrass pioneers, Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young were LA country-rock pioneers. Vince Gill before Pure Prairie League started out in the Bluegrass bands Boone Creek and Bluegrass Alliance.
Also, Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town was written by country legend Mel Tillis, who first recorded it and the first charted version of it was by Johnny Darrell in 1967
You forgot to mention Bruce Springsteen, he released an album in 2019 that is 100% country
One crossover star you failed to mention was Kenny Rogers who was a Rock and Roll star and then had a great and long association with Country Music.
Add in Waylon Jennings, and we’re talking about two of the all-time greats.
Conway Twitty also started out in Rock music way back when he was Harold Jenkins.
@@casandraleff4462 Waylon was in rockabilly so he was always startling the line between rock and country
@@walkerallen124 Okay - I have a confession to make: I meant to write Conway Twitty on the above post, not Waylon. Admittedly not a great a mistake to make, but that's who I was really thinking of!
@@casandraleff4462 but Waylon is Rock with buddy holly so it makes since
Watching this made me feel like I was at a black church in the south. I was constantly saying "Amen!", "Mmhmm", etc. This kind of stuff infuriates me. Thank you for shedding light on this
These videos are so high quality. Keep up the good work!
Sheryl Crow and Jewel are so damn underrated! Going to revisit both their popular and country stuff following this. Also have to mention Australia's "pop princess" Kylie Minogue doing the Nashville thing for 'Golden'. It didn't pretend to be too country and took elements and mixed it in with her usual pop. 'Dancing' is a frivolous fun camp pop (with country elements) song, while 'A Lifetime to Repair' is a little closer to the genre. If it's done with love, I'm a fan.
I actually really liked the Zac Brown/ Danielle Bradbey collab on the Diplo album. And as someone who blasted Michelle Branch religiously. I really can't wait for The Wreckers new music
I love Kelly Clarkson’s duet with Vince Gill, “Don’t Rush”. Under appreciated for sure.
I love your videos like this. They always put together a playlist for the rest of my night.
"Picture" could have been a rock, country, or blues song. A slightly different instrumentality would have pushed it further, but it still fit better than a lot of so called country songs at the time.
As a pretty big Bon Jovi fan in general, Lost Highway isn't my favorite of their albums, but I do genuinely love "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore," the duet he did with LeAnn Rimes
Also u forgot to mention that Elton John made a Country album in 1970 called Tumbleweed Connection