3 Hit Songs That Made Country Stars Famous, but Are Actually Covers

Cover songs typically entail three different perspectives. Some people view them as inferior, as it is not purely original art. On the other hand, people love them, as they breathe life back into classic songs that may or may not have been forgotten. On the other hand, some people like them on a case-by-case basis, simply judging them by their sheer quality. Regardless, there are a lot of them, and in country music, some of them are enormous hits.

Cover songs in country music are a tradition that helps make the genre what it is. Yes, do other artists from other genres perform covers? Of course, however, country music seemingly hosts some of the most popular ones. That being said, here are three country music hits that are actually cover songs.

“Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton is one of the greatest musicians currently playing the game, and not just in country music, but in all of music. Well, his highly decorated career was partially launched not by his music, but by the music of David Allan Coe, as “Tennessee Whiskey” is a cover of Coe’s that is now most often associated with Stapleton.

Prior to Stapleton’s version peaking at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, Coe’s 1981 version peaked at No. 77 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. This song belongs to Coe, but we might all agree that the ownership has unofficially been gifted to Stapleton.

“Life Is A Highway” by Rascal Flatts

In 2006, Rascal Flatts arguably released the biggest hit of their career. That was the single, “Life Is A Highway”, which was recorded for the Pixar film, Cars. Following the release of the track, the song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 18 on the Hot Country Songs chart. Though, this is not an original song, as it was originally recorded and released by Tom Cochrane in 1991.

Tom Cochrane released his original song, “Life Is A Highway”, on his album Mad Mad World. Upon its release, the song became a hit for Cochrane. As a matter of fact, it actually did better than Flatts’ version on the Hot 100, given that it peaked at No. 6. Despite the superior chart performance, it seems the world still associates the classic song with Flatts and the film, Cars.

“Ol’ Red” by Blake Shelton

In 2001, Blake Shelton released his debut self-titled album, on which was “Ol’ Red”, one of the three songs from the body of work to reach the charts. Following the release of the song as a single, “Ol’ Red” peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Shelton turned the song into a top 25 hit and consequently made it into a mainstream country music staple. However, it’s not his. Rather, it belongs to the one and only George Jones.

Originally recorded and released by George Jones in 1990, his rendition didn’t garner any Billboard placements. That being said, the masses seemingly view this song as a Blake Shelton original and forget that Jones originally recorded it.

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