Country Classics

Country is music of the people, capturing the everyday textures of their lives, from barroom laments to celebrations of life. Here, we deliver America’s finest — Hank, Willie, Johnny, et al — alongside Slim Dusty’s bush anthem “A Pub with No Beer.” From its roots through its living legends, these are the genre’s defining tracks.

From honky-tonks to the Opry stage, country music continues to find its voice in the soul of the American back roads. These tracks will take you a little deeper into the grand country tradition: Vern “The Voice” Gosdin coats every note with honey on “Chiseled in Stone” and Loretta Lynn cracks a feisty whip on “Fist City.”

Whiskey-soaked or spit-shined, these shots of essential country are among the proudest moments of a very proud tradition. We take you from the peerless honky-tonk of Faron Young (who owned several monikers, including “the Hillbilly Heartthrob” and “the Singing Sheriff”) to 21st-century country hero Kenny Chesney (“The Tin Man”).

Although we’ve honoured Slim Dusty here, these Country Classics are first and foremost a salute to the great American tradition of heartland songwriting. Far more than just a collection of singles, this list of Essentials is a window looking onto human nature, born of hard times and hard living in a vast, harsh landscape; bearing that in mind, it becomes clear why U.S. country artists have such close ties to the Australian soul. This is music about real life, sung by real characters.