The Best Album by Country Rock’s Biggest Artists

The idea of blending country and rock music existed long before anyone applied a rather uninspired name to the genre.

From rock ‘n’ roll’s beginnings, artists like Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, the Everly Brothers and many others had wed the teen-dream frenzy of rock music to country’s shuffling rhythm and heartbreak lyricism. In one of their most productive years, even the Beatles‘ country-loving drummer gave country music a rock backbeat.

But as highlighted in the list below of the Best Album by Country Rock’s 15 Biggest Artists, “country rock” was born from this unassuming start, as emphasis was placed more on the rock end of the spectrum. As the Summer of Love faded into the harsher realities of late-’60s autumn and winter, artists like Bob Dylan and the Byrds upturned the roots of long-passed generations, transforming them into new sounds.

READ MORE: Top 35 Country Rock Songs

Over the decades, country rock has evolved through various labels, including new traditionalists, heartland rock, alt-country and the more wide-reaching name of Americana. The shades may vary, but the music mostly remains unchanged.

While several of these artists issued better records, the focus here is on their greatest country-rock albums. And even then, there’s room for dissent: Once Eagles turned off the road toward more rock-oriented records, they never completely abandoned the music they made when they started. As with the best albums here, the labels serve as a starting point for more serious exploration.