20 Singers Who Made the Move to Country Music
20位转战乡村音乐的歌手
The arrival of Beyoncé’s Act II: Cowboy Carter on Friday marks the singer’s most formidable move to country music since the inception of her beloved career in the 1990s. Act II is a follow-up to Beyoncé’s Renaissance, released in 2022 to universal acclaim and later toured across the globe in summer 2023.
贝昂斯（Beyoncé）的《Act II: Cowboy Carter》于周五的发行，标志着这位歌手自1990年代开创她备受喜爱的职业生涯以来，对乡村音乐最有力的一次进军。《Act II》是继2022年广受好评并随后在2023年夏季进行全球巡演的《Renaissance》之后的延续。
Act II includes Beyoncé’s single and already smash hit “Texas Hold ’Em,” which upon its release in February made her the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The track was also her ninth hit to reach the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
第二幕包括碧昂斯的单曲《Texas Hold ‘Em》，这首歌在二月份发行后立即成为排行榜冠军，使她成为首位登上Billboard乡村歌曲排行榜榜首的非裔女性。同时，这首歌也是她在Billboard Hot 100榜单上的第九次夺冠之作。
Many now see the arrival of Act II in its entirety as Beyoncé’s turn to join a growing list of singers who have made the move to country music. The genre jump is a somewhat well-documented leap, in part popularized by Ray Charles’ 1962 Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music album, which spent 14 weeks as No. 1 on Billboard‘s album chart and many credit with expanding country music’s overall audience.
现在许多人将碧昂斯的这一转变视为她加入了一个日益庞大的行列，这些歌手纷纷转向乡村音乐。这种风格的跨越在某种程度上是一个广为人知的跳跃，部分归功于雷·查尔斯1962年的《乡村与西方音乐现代之声》专辑，这张专辑在Billboard专辑排行榜上连续14周位居第一，许多人认为它扩大了乡村音乐的整体听众群体。
Since then, singers across the genre gamut have made their own attempts at the country shift, with some staying for the remainder of their careers and others beginning and ending their country music ways with one release.
从那以后，不同流派的歌手纷纷尝试乡村音乐转型，有的在整个职业生涯中坚持下去，有的则仅凭一张专辑开始或结束他们的乡村音乐之旅。
From full country converts like Darius Rucker or Elle King to singers who stopped at one country record like Jessica Simpson or Cyndi Lauper, here’s a look at 20 singers who made their own switch to the country stage.
从像达里乌斯·鲁克（Darius Rucker）或艾尔·金（Elle King）这样的全身心投入乡村音乐的歌手，到像杰西卡·辛普森（Jessica Simpson）或辛迪·劳珀（Cyndi Lauper）这样只尝试过一张乡村唱片的歌手，这里列出了20位转战乡村舞台的歌手。
Though talk of Queen Bey’s move to country skyrocketed at the start of this year with her announcement of Renaissance Act II, the singer’s country influences have been strong ever since the days of 2016’s “Daddy Lessons” on Lemonade, which she performed at the Country Music Association Awards with the Dixie Chicks.
尽管今年年初碧昂斯宣布“蕾哈娜巡演第二季”（Renaissance Act II）时，有关她转向乡村音乐的讨论激增，但这位歌手的乡村影响早在2016年《柠檬树》（Lemonade）专辑中的《爸爸课》（Daddy Lessons）时期就已经显现，当时她与迪克西 chicks（Dixie Chicks）一起在乡村音乐协会奖（Country Music Association Awards）上演唱了这首歌。
Ahead of the release of Act II: Cowboy Carter in March, Beyoncé told fans her new album was born from an experience in which she “did not feel welcomed” in the country music world after facing criticism years earlier. “This genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she added, saying Act II “is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”
在三月发行第二部分专辑《牛仔卡特》（Cowboy Carter）之前，碧昂斯向粉丝透露，这张新作源于她多年前遭遇批评后，在乡村音乐界感到“不受欢迎”的经历。“这个类型迫使我超越别人强加给我的限制，”她补充道，“第二部分是对自我挑战的结果，我花时间融合各种风格，创作出这样的作品。”
Though the country influences may seem obvious to fans, Beyoncé was also careful to be clear with her audience: “This ain’t a Country album,” she said in the same statement. “This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”
虽然歌迷可能会觉得这些乡村元素不言自明，但碧昂斯在同份声明中也明确对听众说：“这并不是一张乡村音乐专辑，”她说道，“这是我的‘碧昂斯’专辑。”
After getting his start in the 1940s, the late Ray Charles (who died in June 2004) went on to release music across multiple genres, including blues, R&B and pop. But he always felt a connection to country music, and in 1962, he dropped his landmark Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music album. While there were fears that Charles may lose fans, the record actually introduced country music to a broader audience. Modern Sounds topped the Billboard album chart for fourteen weeks and also featured the singer’s iconic recording of Don Gibson’s “I Can’t Stop Loving You.”
从20世纪40年代起步，已故的雷·查尔斯（于2004年6月去世）发行了跨越多种风格的音乐，包括蓝调、R&B和流行乐。但他始终与乡村音乐保持着联系，1962年他推出了里程碑式的专辑《Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music》。尽管有人担心这可能会失去一部分粉丝，但这张唱片实际上将乡村音乐介绍给了更广泛的听众。《Modern Sounds》在公告牌专辑排行榜上连续十四周位居榜首，还包含了歌手对唐·吉布森（Don Gibson）的标志性演绎——《我无法停止爱你》（I Can’t Stop Loving You）。
Though Cyndi Lauper has been known for her pop-rock sounds, she has previously opened up about listening to country music as a child. Decades later, in 2016, she released her twelfth studio album, Detour, which marked her crossover into country music. She also collaborated with some country greats on the record, such as Willie Nelson.
尽管Cyndi Lauper以流行摇滚音乐闻名，但她早年曾透露自己会听乡村音乐。几十年后，在2016年，她发行了第十二张录音室专辑《Detour》，这张专辑标志着她向乡村音乐的转型。她在专辑中还与乡村乐坛的一些巨星合作，比如威利·尼尔森（Willie Nelson）。
Following the release of his 2000 debut album Country Grammar, the rapper received love from other country artists. He later secured his spot in the genre with 2004’s “Over and Over,” featuring Tim McGraw, and then again with the remix of Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” in 2013. Both songs peaked in the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Nelly released his country-influenced album Heartland in 2021 and recruited several country artists to be featured on the album, including Darius Rucker, Kane Brown, Jimmie Allen and more.
在2000年发行首张专辑《Country Grammar》后，这位说唱歌手得到了乡村音乐艺术家们的喜爱。他凭借2004年的单曲《Over and Over》，与提姆·麦克格劳合作，以及2013年佛罗里达-乔治亚线（Florida Georgia Line）歌曲《Cruise》的混音版巩固了他在乡村音乐领域的地位。这两首歌都登上了公告牌百强单曲榜的前五名。2021年，Nelly发行了他的乡村风格专辑《Heartland》，并邀请了多位乡村艺人参与其中，如达里乌斯·鲁克、凯恩·布朗、吉米·艾伦等。
Though Elvis Costello was riding in the new wave genre in the 1970s with his albums like This Year’s Model and My Aim Is True, he decided to take a turn in the early 1980s, pivoting to country music. He went to Nashville to record Almost Blue, an album featuring classic country songs. After being released in 1981, it reached No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart.
尽管20世纪70年代，埃尔维斯·科斯特洛（Elvis Costello）凭借《This Year’s Model》和《My Aim Is True》等专辑在新浪潮音乐中崭露头角，但他在1980年代初做出了转向，转向乡村音乐。他前往纳什维尔录制了《Almost Blue》，这是一张收录经典乡村歌曲的专辑。1981年发行后，这张专辑在英国专辑排行榜上取得了第7名的成绩。
Kid Rock may have once been considered a rapper and rock artist, but in 2002, he pivoted to country with “Picture,” his duet with Sheryl Crow and Allison Moorer. The single peaked at No. 21 on the country chart. He continued to stick with the genre, scoring a No. 4 hit in 2008 with “All Summer Long.” He even hosted the CMT Music Awards in 2010 and 2011. Kid Rock has teamed up with several other country icons throughout his career, including Kenny Chesney, Willie Nelson and Martina McBride.
Kid Rock曾经被看作说唱歌手和摇滚艺术家，但他在2002年凭借与雪莉·克罗（Sheryl Crow）和艾莉森·摩尔（Allison Moorer）的合作单曲《Picture》转向了乡村音乐。这首歌在乡村音乐排行榜上达到了第21名。他此后继续坚守这个类型，在2008年凭借《All Summer Long》获得了第4名的成绩。2010年和2011年，他还主持了CMT音乐奖。在他的职业生涯中，Kid Rock曾与多位乡村乐巨星合作，包括肯尼·切斯尼（Kenny Chesney）、威利·尼尔森（Willie Nelson）和玛蒂娜·麦布雷（Martina McBride）。
Van Morrison never shied away from exploring a range of sounds in his music, from jazz, soul, rock and more, but in 2006 he decided to completely pivot to country with his Pay the Devil album. As his first record with Nashville-based Lost Highway Records, the 15-track album not only featured some original songs but also Morrison’s versions of some country classic hits from Hank Williams, Connie Smith and Webb Pierce.
Van Morrison的音乐从未回避过各种声音的探索，从爵士、灵魂、摇滚到更多风格，但他在2006年做出了一个决定性的转变，全身心投入乡村音乐，发布了专辑《Pay the Devil》。作为他与纳什维尔的Lost Highway Records合作的第一张唱片，这张15首曲目的专辑不仅包含了一些原创歌曲，还收录了Hank Williams、Connie Smith和Webb Pierce等乡村经典歌曲的翻唱版本。
Before Cassadee Pope embarked on her solo music journey, she was the lead vocalist and songwriter of the pop rock band Hey Monday. Then in 2012, she decided to transition to country music and joined Blake Shelton’s team on NBC’s The Voice, which she ultimately won. She released her debut solo country album, Frame by Frame, in 2013, which peaked at No. 1 on Top Country Albums. She later released her third full-length studio album, Thrive, in 2021, a year before announcing she was stepping away from country music and returning to her roots in pop-punk.
在卡萨迪·波普(Cassadee Pope)开始她的个人音乐之旅之前，她是流行摇滚乐队Hey Monday的主唱和词曲作者。2012年，她决定转向乡村音乐，并加入了布莱克·谢尔顿(Blake Shelton)在NBC的《Voice》团队，最终赢得了比赛。2013年，她发行了首张个人乡村专辑《Frame by Frame》，该专辑荣登乡村专辑排行榜冠军。2021年，她在宣布退出乡村音乐并回归流行朋克根源的一年前，发布了她的第三张全长录音室专辑《Thrive》。
Though The Byrds’ transition from folk-rock into country wasn’t the smoothest, their 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo is still credited as the birth of the country rock genre. The album only peaked at No. 77 on the charts, but the album’s legacy is still remembered today. It was also the first album released by the re-vamped band after original members David Crosby and Michael Clarke left. Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman knew they couldn’t create a country-sounding record alone, so they brought in country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons and drummer Kevin Kelley to help make Sweetheart of the Rodeo.
尽管披头士乐队从民谣摇滚过渡到乡村音乐的过程并不顺畅，但他们1968年的专辑《Rodeo甜心》仍然被认为是乡村摇滚流派的诞生之作。这张专辑在排行榜上只达到第77名，但其影响力至今仍被铭记。这也是原成员大卫·克罗斯比（David Crosby）和迈克尔·克拉克（Michael Clarke）离开后，重组乐队发行的第一张专辑。罗杰·麦基文（Roger McGuinn）和克里斯·希尔曼（Chris Hillman）深知他们无法单独创作出乡村风格的唱片，因此他们邀请了乡村摇滚先驱格伦·帕森斯（Gram Parsons）和鼓手凯文·凯利（Kevin Kelley）共同制作《Rodeo甜心》。
Steven Tyler has been at the helm of American rock band Aerosmith since the 1970s, but fast-forward several decades, and the artist decided to branch out of the rock genre for his solo music career. After seemingly making Nashville his home away from Aerosmith, he released his debut county single “Love Is Your Name” in 2015. He then followed it up with a full-length album, We’re All Somebody from Somewhere, in 2016, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
史蒂文·泰勒自20世纪70年代起就担任美国摇滚乐队“Aerosmith”的主唱，但几十年后，这位艺术家决定将自己的音乐事业扩展到摇滚之外。他似乎把纳什维尔当成了Aerosmith之外的家，于2015年发行了他的首支乡村单曲《Love Is Your Name》。接着在2016年，他推出了全长专辑《We’re All Somebody from Somewhere》，该专辑荣登Billboard乡村专辑排行榜冠军。
Bob Dylan always had an appreciation for country music, even early in his career. While he started out focused mostly on a rock, folk and eventually pop sound, by the mid-1960s, the legendary singer-songwriter made his first trip to Nashville to record his seventh album, Blonde on Blonde. The record had more of a rock feel, but it set the stage for his next two albums, John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline, which marked his transition to country. Some of the most notable tracks included “Lay Lady Lay,” and his duet with Johnny Cash on “Girl from the North Country.”
鲍勃·迪伦自早期职业生涯起就一直对乡村音乐抱有欣赏。尽管他最初专注于摇滚、民谣，后来逐渐转向流行，但在1960年代中期，这位传奇的创作歌手首次前往纳什维尔，录制了他的第七张专辑《金发女郎与布莱克先生》（Blonde on Blonde）。这张唱片虽然更偏向摇滚风格，但它为他接下来的两张专辑——《约翰·威斯利·哈丁》（John Wesley Harding）和《纳什维尔天空线》（Nashville Skyline）铺平了道路，这两张专辑标志着他向乡村音乐的转变。其中一些最著名的歌曲包括“Lay Lady Lay”，以及他与约翰尼·卡什的二重唱曲目“北国女孩”（Girl from the North Country）。
Elle King, daughter of Saturday Night Live comedian Rob Schneider, first rose to fame as a pop artist in 2012 with The Elle King EP. In 2015, she shifted to country with her major hit “Exes and Ohs” and then became a featured duet guest on Dierks Bentley’s “Different for Girls” in 2016. Later, she also shared credit with Miranda Lambert on “Drunk (And I Don’t Want to Go Home)” in 2021. King has earned four Grammy nominations, two for rock categories and the other two for country.
艾尔·金（Elle King）是周六夜现场喜剧演员罗布·施耐德的女儿，她在2012年凭借首张流行艺术家专辑《The Elle King EP》崭露头角。2015年，她转向乡村音乐，凭借热门单曲《Exes and Ohs》获得了广泛关注。接着在2016年，她作为特别嘉宾与迪克·班纳特（Dierks Bentley）合作了歌曲《Different for Girls》。2021年，她又与米兰达·兰伯特（Miranda Lambert）共同创作并演唱了《Drunk (And I Don’t Want to Go Home)》。艾尔·金获得了四次格莱美奖提名，其中两次在摇滚类别，另两次在乡村音乐领域。
Lionel Richie first rose to fame as a lead singer of Motown group the Commodores in the 1970s. He is also a member of the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a four-time Grammy winner.
莱昂纳尔·里奇（Lionel Richie）在20世纪70年代作为摩城乐队 Commodores 的主唱声名鹊起。他也是黑人音乐与娱乐名人堂（Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame）以及摇滚名人堂的成员，并曾四次获得格莱美奖。
But, along his long and winding road to success, Richie took a one stop in the country music world: He released Tuskegee in 2012, an album named after his hometown Alabama city which features 13 duets with country stars including Shania Twain, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson and more. Tuskegee remains Richie’s most recently released studio album.
但在通往成功的漫长旅途中，里奇曾短暂驻足乡村音乐界：他在2012年发行了《图斯克基》（Tuskegee）这张专辑，这是以他家乡阿拉巴马州城市命名的，其中包含了与莎妮娅·吐温（Shania Twain）、布雷克·谢尔顿（Blake Shelton）、杰森·阿尔迪安（Jason Aldean）、肯尼·切斯尼（Kenny Chesney）、肯尼·罗杰斯（Kenny Rogers）、威利·尼尔森（Willie Nelson）等乡村明星的合作二重唱。《图斯克基》至今仍是里奇最新发行的录音室专辑。
Queen of Rock ‘n Roll Tina Turner released only one country album during her decades-long career — 1974’s Tina Turns the Country On!. The record was actually Turner’s first-ever solo studio album, marking the beginning of her individual career after spending the ’60s performing with her then-husband, Ike Turner. Though the album went largely off the grid after its release (the record was never printed on a CD), it recently became available on streaming last year.
摇滚女王蒂娜·特纳在她几十年的生涯中只发行过一张乡村专辑——1974年的《Tina Turns the Country On!》。这张专辑实际上是特纳的首张个人录音室专辑，标志着她在60年代与当时的丈夫艾克·特纳合作表演后，开始了她的个人事业。尽管专辑发行后几乎消失在人们的视野中（从未以CD形式发行），但它最近在去年开始在流媒体平台上可供播放。
Best known (and most beloved) as the lead singer of his eponymous rock band, Jon Bon Jovi first dabbled with country influences when he released a re-recording of his band’s “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” with Jennifer Nettles — the song won the 2007 Grammy for best country collaboration with vocals. Around the same time, Bon Jovi released their (also 2007) album Lost Highway, which the lead singer famous called a “Bon Jovi album influenced by Nashville.”
作为同名摇滚乐队的主唱，Jon Bon Jovi最为人所知（也备受喜爱），他在与Jennifer Nettles合作重新录制了乐队的《Who Says You Can’t Go Home》时首次接触乡村音乐风格——这首歌赢得了2007年的格莱美最佳乡村二人/团体演唱奖。与此同时，Bon Jovi在同年发行了专辑《Lost Highway》，主唱曾形容这是一张“受到纳什维尔影响的邦·乔维专辑”。
Aaron Lewis first rose to fame in the 1990s as the frontman of metal band Staind, which is a job he technically still holds while also well into the second decade of his own country music career. Lewis released his debut country EP, Town Line, in 2010 and has released five studio albums since — most recently, The Hill in January 2024.
亚伦·刘易斯在1990年代以金属乐队史坦德的主唱身份初次走红，至今他仍然担任这个职务，同时他的乡村音乐事业也进入了第二个十年。刘易斯于2010年发行了他的首张乡村迷你专辑《城镇线》（Town Line），之后又发行了五张录音室专辑，最近的一张是2024年1月的《山丘》（The Hill）。
Jewel’s music first hit the charts in the 1990s, with the release of folk rock albums Pieces of You and Spirit. In 2008, she made the jump to country with her seventh studio album, Perfectly Clear. Jon Rich, half of country band Big and Rich, produced the record. The singer released a second country album, Sweet and Wild, in 2010. Parts of her most recent release, 2015’s Picking Up the Pieces, were also recorded in Nashville.
珠儿的音乐在1990年代首次登上排行榜，凭借民谣摇滚专辑《Pieces of You》和《Spirit》。2008年，她转向乡村音乐，发行了第七张录音室专辑《Perfectly Clear》，该专辑由乡村乐队Big and Rich的成员Jon Rich制作。2010年，她又发布了一张乡村专辑《Sweet and Wild》。她最近的一张作品，2015年的《Picking Up the Pieces》，部分录制于纳什维尔。
Though known as an established country artist today, singer-songwriter Darius Rucker first rose to fame as the lead vocalist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish. The band released five studio albums, many of which Rucker co-wrote, before he branched out on his own and eventually signed to Capitol Nashville as a country singer in 2008. He has been a mainstay of the genre ever since, and in 2013, won the Grammy for best country solo performance for his smash hit, “Wagon Wheel.”
尽管如今被誉为资深的乡村艺术家，但创作歌手达里乌斯·拉克最初是以摇滚乐队Hootie & the Blowfish的主唱而闻名。在乐队发行了五张录音室专辑，其中许多歌曲都是由拉克共同创作之后，他开始单飞，并于2008年签约Capitol Nashville，成为一名乡村歌手。自此以后，他在乡村音乐界稳住了阵脚，特别是在2013年，凭借他的热门单曲《Wagon Wheel》，他赢得了格莱美最佳乡村独唱表演奖。
Though most beloved as a pop star of the early aughts, dedicated fans will remember Jessica Simpson’s singular country album, 2008’s Do You Know. Though the record received relatively neutral reviews, Simpson’s attempted genre jump was met with backlash from fans, and she didn’t stay in the country world for long. Since then, the singer has released just one other album, 2010’s Happy Christmas.
尽管杰西卡·辛普森最广为人知的身份是21世纪初的流行歌手，但她的铁杆粉丝们或许会记得她那独一无二的乡村专辑——2008年的《你知道吗》（Do You Know）。尽管这张唱片的评论反响平平，但辛普森尝试跨界乡村音乐之举却遭到了歌迷的抵制，她并没有在乡村乐坛停留太久。自那以后，这位歌手只发行了另外一张专辑，那就是2010年的圣诞专辑《快乐圣诞节》（Happy Christmas）。
Lil Nas X, born Montero Lamar Hill, shot to fame in 2019 amid a so-called culture war over his status as a country star. The singer’s rap-country smash hit “Old Town Road” first went viral on TikTok before debuting on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart, only to be then removed from the same chart some weeks later.
Lil Nas X，原名Montero Lamar Hill，于2019年在一场关于他是否属于乡村明星的文化之争中迅速走红。他的说唱乡村歌曲《Old Town Road》最初在TikTok上走红，随后登上了《公告牌》的Hot Country Songs排行榜，但几周后又被从该榜单移除。
“While ‘Old Town Road’ incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version,” a Billboard statement to Rolling Stone read at the time.
《告示牌》当时向《滚石》发表声明称：“尽管‘Old Town Road’融入了乡村和牛仔的意象，但以目前的形式，它并没有包含足够多当代乡村音乐的元素，因此无法在乡村音乐榜上登榜。”
Still, the song cemented itself in the country’s zeitgeist, and a version that the rapper recorded with country singer Billy Ray Cyrus went on to spend 19 weeks atop Billboard‘s Hot 100 list, the most of any song in the chart’s history.
尽管如此，这首歌还是成为了这个国家的集体记忆。说唱歌手与乡村歌手比利·雷·塞勒斯合作的版本在公告牌百强单曲榜上蝉联冠军长达19周，创造了该榜单历史上的最长纪录。
