Classic Country Spotlight is a weekly series covering legendary artists from country music’s past. Whether you still listen to the timeless hits or hope to become better acquainted with an older sound, classic country will never die. Brought to you by Val Turgeon.
Some country songs will live on for eternity. They’re the kinds of songs that even non-country music fans know and love. We have memorized the lyrics, which is useful for those times when we’ve had a few too many beers. They are the songs notoriously covered by both local and national artists because there’s no doubt they’re a crowd pleaser.
Despite the electric reaction popular cover songs get when that first note is played, I have a feeling that when at least one of these start playing at a concert, you shout in a half-drunken state of agony, “NOT AGAIN!” For me, it has to be “Wagon Wheel,” especially when Darius Rucker released it as his single (however, if you give me some whiskey then I’ll probably change my mind, but just for a moment).
I put together THIS PLAYLIST of songs and artists you may want to know before heading out to a mainstream country concert because more than likely, at least one of these songs will be covered, especially the songs near the beginning of the playlist.
Based on the country concerts I’ve been to the past couple of years, I’ve seen a variety in the genre of chosen cover songs. Some artists take on the true classics like George Jones and Conway Twitty. Others like to put their own twang on classic rock from bands like the Eagles and Tom Petty. My favorite are the covers from the 90’s. Because I didn’t start listening to country until a couple years ago, I developed a love for 90’s country through the covers at live concerts. See, artists who perform covers keep songs from years’ past alive!
Are there any cover songs not on this list that you’ve heard played over and over again?
Here’s a look at the 45-song playlist on Spotify: