3 British Bands That Made Classics by Leaning Into Country Music

While country music originates from no one singular place, the United States has created the genre into a mainstream monument that coincides with American patriotism. That being said, its biggest superstars are typically from the United States, as well as sometimes Canada. So, very rarely do the masses see someone from another country lean into country music. Well, historically, however, that notion is quickly changing.

With all that in mind, there have only been a handful of notable musicians from the past to lean into country music. Given their prominence and ability to make ambitious and creative choices, they were often British rock bands. So, here are three British acts who created classics by leaning into country music.

Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones were one of the major figures when it came to the modernization of the blues. They were fans of American music, and later in their career, they were seemingly fans of country music, as they released an onslaught of music that echoed the sounds of the American South.

Some of the Rolling Stones country-esque tracks include “Sweet Virginia”, “Honky Tonk Women”, “Country Honk”, “Dead Flowers”, and several others. All of these songs listed did, in fact, churn out some success for the Stones. Particularly, “Honky Tonk Women” as the single peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Beatles

The Beatles covered every single genre of music in some way, shape, or form during their career. Hence, country music was seemingly a fairly easy task for them. The Beatles’ songs that mirror American country music include “Rocky Raccoon”, “Don’t Pass Me By”, and the cover of Buck Owens’ classic, “Act Naturally”.

While all three of these songs were successful and have had a lasting legacy, the one that was most successful in terms of chart success was the cover of Owens’ track. Following the 1965 release of the single, the Ringo Starr track peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Kinks

In 1971, The Kinks released arguably the most ambitious and genre-bending album of their career, Muswell Hillbillies. Ray Davies reportedly constructed the album with the plan of making British social critiques through an American musical lens. Thus, the country-esque singles residing on the track are “Here Come The People In Grey”, “20th Century Man”, and the albums title track, “Muswell Hillbillies”.

While the album only peaked at No. 100 on the Billboard 200, fans, fellow musicians, and critics still revered it as one of the Kinks’ best albums, given the socially poignant lyrics and the off-brand implementation of American country music.

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