We encourage young artists to not get trapped in the genre game and just do what comes naturally to them and never be afraid to stretch out and try different styles.
More and more artists are trying their hand a country single or even an entire album.
Cyndi Lauper
Is looking forward to recording an album of country songs in 2016, hinting that it could be an album of covers she’s been singing for decades. She’s eyeing producer Tony Brown to help the project.
Julio Iglesias
An established Latin crooner by the time Willie Nelson asked him to record a duet. While on tour overseas, Nelson discovered his amazingly smooth voice while listening to the radio. The Red-Headed Stranger then began the search for his unlikely singing partner to propose the idea of recording “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before.” In no time, Iglesias accepted the offer and traveled to the United States to record his vocals. The song rode up the country charts to No. 1 and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard pop chart.
Darius Rucker
Perhaps the biggest country crossover to date, Darius Rucker was Hootie to the Blowfish in the ’80s and ’90s, but he really found his stride when he signed with Capitol Records in 2008, going head first into country music. Today? He’s a staple, making songs like “Wagon Wheel” his own and sharing his “Homegrown Honey.” Where would we be without him?
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is a longstanding legend in rock ‘n’ roll, and the Aerosmith frontman is hoping that luck will continue in country music. In March of 2015, he announced he’d be making his way into the genre, signing with Dot Records and releasing a single called “Love Is Your Name.”
Bret Michaels
Bret Michaels is most well known for being the voice (and hair) beyond Poison. But in April of 2015, Michaels dropped his country single called “Girls on Bars.” A few days after releasing it, he revealed that he’d be releasing a new solo album of country songs called True Grit.
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga, took the pop music world by storm in 2008 with her debut album, The Fame. Fans fell in love with Mother Monster through her singles “Poker Face” and “Just Dance” and from there, there was no stopping her. Lady Gaga has experimented with other types of music since, including an album of jazz standards with Tony Bennett … and she even made a country version of her song “Born This Way”
Bon Jovi
You could almost guarantee that any Bon Jovi fan who was rockin’ out to 1986’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ On A Prayer” was not listening to Randy Travis and the Judds, the hottest names in country radio at the time. However, as country music evolved and changed, so did the many rock ‘n’ roll fans, who suddenly became a part of country music’s growing demographic. In 2006, Jon Bon Jovi and his band made an easy transition to country with “‘Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” his duet with Jennifer Nettles.
Lionel Richie
The former Commodore started his amazing solo career with the platinum selling pop single “Endless Love” with Diana Ross in 1981. Then, he dominated pop and adult contemporary radio with “My Love,” “All Night Long” and “Hello” before pitching “Stuck on You” to country radio. The song peaked at a modest No. 24, but his follow-up with Alabama on “Deep River Woman” climbed to No. 10. Prior to his surprise appearance on the country chart, he wrote the huge country crossover hit “Lady” for Kenny Rogers in 1980.
Aaron Lewis
Aaron Lewis is most known for being the lead vocalist of the rock group Staind. He helped to found the group, and they released seven albums, including big hits like “It’s Been a While.” But when they stopped making music, Lewis venture into country music, releasing his country debut Town Line, in 2011.
Uncle Kracker
Uncle Kracker’s first solo album, Double Wide, included “Follow Me,” which was a popular pop hit. After the release of his second album, the singer became buds with Kenny Chesney. The two began touring together, and Chesney released “When the Sun Goes Down” which featured Kracker as a guest. From there, the Michigan native’s career began to take a purely country turn — he even went on the road with Brantley Gilbert.
Kid Rock
Kid Rock is truly a one-of-a-kind artist. He started out with a rap/hip-hop foundation, which isn’t unusual for someone from Michigan, and he found many rock hits before turning country. Kid Rock’s first foray into the genre was with Sheryl Crow and their insanely successful hit “Picture.”
Jessica Simpson
After becoming a pop culture sensation by starring in her own reality series on MTV with then husband Nick Lachey, Simpson landed the role of Daisy Duke in the 2005 movie The Dukes Of Hazzard. Simpson befriended co-star Willie Nelson in the movie, who encouraged her to pursue her passion of recording country music. In 2008, she released a country album called Do You Know that debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart. The first single, “Come on Over,” was a Top 20 hit.
Jerry Lee Lewis
In 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis rocked his way up the pop charts with “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On” and “Great Balls of Fire.” Surprisingly, both of these songs hit No. 1 on the Billboard country charts. Then, after his rock ‘n’ roll success dwindled, he released a successful string of country hits throughout the ’60s and ’70s. In all, the thumpin’ piano player racked up 49 Top 40 Billboard country hits, and even played the Grand Ole Opry.
Ray Charles
As he was making a name for himself by mixing R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, gospel and Jazz, Charles took an unexpected turn in 1962 by releasing the groundbreaking album Modern Sounds in Country And Western Music. The album gave country classics like “You Win Again” and “‘I Can’t Sop Loving You” a new sound and introduced many new fans to the genre. In the early ’80s, Ray released a country duets project that produced the top 10 hit “We Didn’t See a Thing” with George Jones and Chet Atkins and the No. 1 hit “Seven Spanish Angels” with Willie Nelson.