16 Country Rock Artists You May Have Overlooked


The line between country and rock has long been flexible.

If you consider, for example, the catalogs of artists like Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Eagles, the Grateful Dead, the Flying Burrito Brothers or the Byrds, to name a few, you’ll find that they were as comfortable pulling influences from Hank Williams as they were Chuck Berry.

But in the below list, in no particular order, we’re taking a look at 16 country rock artists — both individuals and bands — whose names aren’t heard as often.

To be clear, not everyone on this list flew under the commercial radar. In fact, several of them were chart-topping, highly successful recording acts, but they’re usually not talked about as often as some of the aforementioned artists.

It’s also worth noting that to define “country rock” is a limiting venture. There are some recognizable elements that appear over and over again in these groups, but in another sense, the best approach to categorizing country rock may be: you know it when you hear it.

1. Cowboy

Formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969, Cowboy’s original lineup consisted of singer-songwriters Scott Boyer and Tommy Talton, plus pianist/guitarist Bill Pillmore, bassist George Clark, guitarist Pete Kowalke and drummer Tom Wynn. Prior to that, both Boyer and Talton played with the likes of the Allman Brothers Band and Bonnie Bramlett, which should give you a sense of the sound Cowboy leaned toward — robust songwriting with some tender-hearted ballads made for sitting out on the front porch thinking about days long gone. (“Please Be With Me,” available for listening below, actually features Duane Allman on a dobro.) In the ’70s, Cowboy released four albums together. Boyer and Talton wound up reforming a version of the band in 2007 and released a reunion album, 10’ll Getcha Twenty, in 2018.

 

2. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

Jam bands aren’t the only groups who can keep the party going for hours. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, a country rock act out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, were famous back in the day for their marathon concerts. Led by George Frayne IV, aka Commander Cody, the group made the excellent choice to relocate to San Francisco in the late ’60s, a much more progressive scene where their rootin,’ tootin’ bar band attitude could be expanded into something bigger than themselves. “We didn’t think of appealing to anybody,” Commander Cody said to Rolling Stone in 1970. “We were just having a good time, picking and playing and making a few dollars on the side.” If the blues could make a comeback, why couldn’t country? The band grabbed just one Top 10 hit in 1972: a cover of the 1955 song “Hot Rod Lincoln.”

 

3. New Riders of the Purple Sage

What sometimes gets forgotten about the Grateful Dead was that their foundation was jug and bluegrass music. Guitarist John Dawson played often with Jerry Garcia in the ’60s, and when Garcia eventually formed the Dead, Dawson took inspiration from people like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, combined it with a California flare and made his own band called New Riders of the Purple Sage, who toured with the Dead frequently. The New Riders got signed to Columbia Records in 1971 by Clive Davis, releasing and their debut, self-titled album that same year. The group landed a little FM radio staple with a cover of Peter Rowan’s “Panama Red,” and though their commercial output never shattered the charts, their association with the Dead served them well through the ’70s. The group has split up and been revived multiple times over the years, with Dawson passing away in 2009.

 

4. Pure Prairie League

Below you can hear the song Pure Prairie League is most famous for, 1975’s “Amie.” But this country rock band, which hailed from Ohio, landed 5 consecutive Top 40 albums in the ’70s and one more in the ’80s. Perhaps the most impressive part is that although the band’s lineup was fluid over the years — Vince Gill was a member at one point — they somehow maintained an incredible talent for harmony singing that Crosby, Stills & Nash would be proud of. Some other tracks we recommend checking out: “Two Lane Highway,” “Let Me Love You Tonight” and “Still Right Here in My Heart.”

 

5. Ry Cooder

It’s not easy to describe guitarist Ry Cooder’s exact style. The best we can come up with is something like a mix of country rock, folk, roots and blues. He is lauded in the music world for his talent on the slide guitar, which has brought him collaborations with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Randy Newman. Below is a selection from Cooder’s 1970 debut, self-titled album.

 

6. Blue Rodeo

Country rock but make it Canadian. That’s the vibe behind Blue Rodeo, who formed in 1984 in Toronto. Two years later, they joined forces with Rush producer Terry Brown to make their debut album, Outskirts, and developed a loyal following in Canada. “I’ve always thought we were a country rock band,” singer-songwriter Jim Cuddy said in a 1999 interview. “Country rock bands are historically rock bands, who grew up on rock music and then discovered country. … We had admiration for [Kris] Kristofferson and some of the rock musicians who had gone through Nashville, [Nashville] Skyline for Bob Dylan and the Byrds and that kind of stuff. We started getting into that, and it has always been a second or third of fourth hand version of country music. Then we started to meet guys that introduced us to George Jones and all that and as much as I admire that, I have never tried to emulate it. I was not born in the States, I’m not American. I don’t have that background in country music. It’s always been this bastardization of it that’s appealed to me.”

 

7. Nashville West

Before the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, there was Nashville West, made up of Gene Parsons, Clarence White, Gib Guilbeau and Wayne Moore. This group was together for such a short amount of time that their one and only album — recorded during a 1968 club show — came out years after they’d already broken up. Parsons and White went on to be in the Byrds, and then Parsons and Guilbeau were in the Flying Burrito Brothers.

8. Southern Pacific

Southern Pacific formed in 1983 with former Doobie Brothers members Keith Knudsen and John McFee, plus bassist Jerry Scheff. They were together for less than a decade, but managed to release four albums. In 1989 they landed a hit with the song “Any Way the Wind Blows,” which made a cameo in the film Pink Cadillac starring Clint Eastwood and Bernadette Peters.

 

9. Dr. Hook (& the Medicine Show)

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show formed in New Jersey in 1969, and before too long they started gathering Top 40 hits, including but not limited to: “Sylvia’s Mother,” “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone,'” “Only Sixteen,” “Walk Right In” and “Sharing the Night Together.” By 1985, they were over.

 

10. Billy Craddock

Billy Craddock was an American singer, but interestingly enough, began earning popularity in Australia first. It took several years before he gained traction in the U.S., slowly but surely landing him the nickname “The King of Country Rock Music” with hits like “Rub It In,” “Broken Down in Tiny Pieces” and “Ruby Baby.”

 

11. Michael Martin Murphy

You can’t really talk about the history of country rock, and more specifically cowboy songs, without mentioning Michael Martin Murphey who has six gold albums to his name. One look at a list of his hits and you’ll get a sense of the imagery in Murphey’s music: “Wildfire,” “Carolina in the Pines” and “Don’t Count the Rainy Days,” to name a few.

 

12. The International Submarine Band

Before leaning fully into music, Gram Parsons was a theology student at none other than Harvard University. But it didn’t take very long for him to pursue his true calling. In 1965, he formed a group with John Nuese called the International Submarine Band. Together they were drawn to the country rock sound, releasing one album in 1968 called Safe at Home. Parsons, of course, went on to work with the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Fallen Angels with Emmylou Harris.

 

13. Souther-Hillman-Furay Band

The only thing better than a good country rock group? A good country rock supergroup. Enter the Souther–Hillman–Furay Band made up of Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield, Poco), Chris Hillman (the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers) and J.D. Souther (songwriter for Linda Ronstadt and Eagles). Together they released two albums: The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band (1974) and Trouble in Paradise (1975).

 

14. Michael Nesmith and the First National Band

Mike Nesmith is best known for being a member of the Monkees, but after that, he went on to form a country rock group called the First National Band and released three albums. “Those were the songs I started writing when I started writing,” Nesmith recalled to azcentral.com in 2018. “They play out in my life the way any early work persists and nourishes the way they nourish. The First National Band was to be my private yacht to take me to shore.”

 

15. Eddie Rabbitt

Eddie Rabbitt was the songwriter behind Elvis Presley‘s “Kentucky Rain,” as well as Ronnie Milsap’s “Pure Love.” That was just the beginning for Rabbitt, who was a key figure in the ’80s as far as helping to bring country music into a modern space with songs like “Suspicions,” “I Love a Rainy Night” and “Every Which Way but Loose.”

 

16. Jerry Jeff Walker

Jerry Jeff Walker was born in New York State but eventually became synonymous with Texas music, releasing countless country rock albums from 1967 up until 2018. He penned the famous tune “Mr. Bojangles,” which would later be covered by Harry Nilsson, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, John Denver and more.

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Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci





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Wesley Scott

Wesley Scott is a rock music aficionado and seasoned journalist who brings the spirit of the genre to life through his writing. With a focus on both classic and contemporary rock, Wesley covers everything from iconic band reunions and concert tours to deep dives into rock history. His articles celebrate the legends of the past while also shedding light on new developments, such as Timothee Chalamet's portrayal of Bob Dylan or Motley Crue’s latest shows. Wesley’s work resonates with readers who appreciate rock's rebellious roots, offering a blend of nostalgia and fresh perspectives on the ever-evolving scene.

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