Country and rock are not really that far apart. Think of this. Country queen Dolly Parton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Who would have guessed it? Rock god Ringo Starr just released a country album. The drummer for the premier rock band ever went full cowboy. The divide between the two genres gets bridged all the time. Per Taste Of Country, "When Elvis Presley walked into Memphis' Sun Studios that fateful first day in 1954, the songs he cut both took cues from the country format...." Speaking of the legendary King, per Wide Open Country, "Presley's mix of country covers and genre-defining rock hits made him a crossover star...."
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Some country songs have their beginnings solidly in rock. They morphed from one to the other with ease. These songs borrowed from rock that found a comfortable niche in country may surprise you a bit. They are by Johnny Cash, Travis Tritt, Solomon Burke, and Lorrie Morgan.
'Me and Bobby McGee'
This gritty song that will be forever identified with the brilliant Janis Joplin caromed from country to rock many times in its life. Written by Kris Kristofferson from a suggestion by Fred Foster, it originated with Roger Miller, was famously covered by Joplin in 1971, got in the hands of Jerry Lee Lewis, was covered by Gordon Lightfoot, Kenny Rogers, the Statler Brothers, and songwriter Kristofferson himself.
Artists like the Grateful Dead and Pink have done it live. That the song lends itself so well to both rock and country-flavored interpretations speaks volumes about the immense quality and flexibility of the material. Per Wide Open Country, Johnny Cash and Olivia Newton-John have embraced this classic crossover road song as well.
'Take It Easy'
The Eagles' first single, released in 1972, was a soft rock delight. "Take It Easy" is arguably their landmark song. It summarizes a fun-filled, relaxed way of life and a leisurely attitude that listeners still fall in love with fast. Per thisisdig.com, Glenn Frey said thirty years later, ""I think it was the vistas of the southwest, and it was the beginnings of what became country rock. 'Take It Easy' was the first Eagles song and it really was America's, and everybody's, first image of our band." Travis Tritt covers it, country style, per Financial Times,
'Proud Mary'
The song was written in 1967 by John Fogarty of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Biography terms it "a blues rock anthem." Ike and Tina Turner covered it electrifyingly. Solomon Burke did it in 1969 as a country and gospel blend. Johnny Cash came along and claimed it for pure country as well. But when you come right down to it, this song is permanently associated with Turner. Her version builds to a breakneck dramatic crescendo that only she could pull off. It was her signature song.
'Eight Days A Week'
The Beatles released this Lennon-McCartney song in 1964 when Beatlemania was in high gear. Lorrie Morgan gives it a country makeover complete with twangy instrumentation and country vocals. Either way, the bouncy song works very well. Morgan transforms it into true-blue country.
