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A Grammy Award (stylized as GRAMMY, originally called Gramophone Award), or Grammy, is an award presented by The Recording Academy to recognize achievements in the music industry.
Country Song The Highwaymen Unlike the Traveling Wilburys, this dusty, battle-scarred outlaw-country supergroup delivers on the promise of its parts. A veritable Mount Rushmore of country legends – Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash – trade verses about their time traveling the world. Ultimately, it's Johnny who ends up on a starship blasting through the universe. Funny… we always assumed Willie would make that trip first.
Country Song Lee Ann Womack Songwriters Mark Sanders and Tia Sillers’ heartfelt, emotional ode became the soundtrack to father-daughter dances at weddings across the country. Womack first performed the vocals in 2000 before taking home a Grammy for it.
Country Song Hank Williams Though it went on to inspire quite a few covers, the version originally written and recorded by Williams remains a classic, though he'd first intended it be spoken instead of sung. The lyrics tell of Williams' rocky marriage, and Elvis famously called it ‘probably the saddest song I’ve ever heard.’
Country Song Kitty Wells It’s almost unbelievable that a song of this nature was written and recorded in 1952, but Wells’ recording of J.D. Miller's lyrics asserted that unfaithful women were the result of the treatment by their unfaithful men. It was a response to Hank Thompson’s ‘The Wild Side of Life’ and it was a game changer for female country singers.
Country Song olly Parton This Parton hit was her second chart-topper and even crossed into ainstream music’s territory. It’s one of her most covered songs, now being sung by artists who weren’t even alive when it came out in 1973, and she’s revealed in interviews that the real Jolene is a composite of her bank teller and a fan she met at a show.
Country Song Charley Pride The late Charley Pride will forever be remembered as the rare performer to break country music's undeniably fortified color barrier. But simply focusing on his challenges (or, more accurately, the genre’s shortcomings) distracts from the fact that he was one of the country's most gifted songwriters, and one need only listen to his biggest hit – the peppy, fiddle-kissed slice of soulful country – to realize he more than earned his place among the greats through impeccab
Country Song Tim McGraw Despite its inherently somber topic, this feel-good, hip-swaying tune finds McGraw waxing poetic over the ability to truly live life to the fullest. The track and video both cleaned up at the 2004 CMAs and ACM Awards, and it has some solid bucket list advice (just ignore the part about bull riding, maybe).
Country Song Taylor Swift Does Swift know that Romeo and Juliet doesn’t end happily? (Spoiler alert.) Despite her questionable interpretation of the Shakespeare classic, this sweet love song was a massive success off the young, then-country singer's 2008 sophomore album. It broke genre barriers, surpassed country hits and took over pop charts as well. The song got a fresh new take from adult Taylor in 2021, but the original remains perfect due to its mix of teenage naivete and beyond-her-years s
Country Song Shania Twain Shania’s reign over the ’90s was so pervasive, it’s easy to forget the whiplash she caused. Here was a young, vivacious Canadian with a golden voice rankling the country world with her PG-13 sexuality and glam presence while simultaneously invading boy band-heavy MTV with her fiddles and country twang. The singer still sparks animosity among the old guard, making her an unlikely icon among country's most spur-rankling outsiders. And ‘Man, I Feel Like A Woman’ is her ma
Country Song Keith Urban Australian country rocker Urban sings about wanting to fall in love in this single released off the 2002 album Golden Road, and it gained a wider audience after being remixed for the next year’s cheesy rom-com How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Skip the movie but listen to the song.
Country Song Kris Kristofferson One country music’s most frequently overlooked troubadours, Kristofferson struck woozy gold with this celebrated slice of life that offers a snapshot of a hungover morning strolling through town. Before long, Kristofferson’s hankerings for weed and fried chicken gives way to a sense of regret for lost moments in this ponderous classic. Johnny Cash’s cover might be more well known at this point – much like Kristofferson’s other masterpiece, ‘Me & Bobby McGee,’ beca