When we heard that Luke Combs was including a cover of the Tracy Chapman classic 'Fast Car' on his latest album, many thought the choice of the cover song was a strange choice for the country hitmaker. It turns out Combs knows what he's doing. The song is dominating both country and pop radio and the streaming charts. It's another example of how amazing country covers can be when done by the right artist at the right time. Here are five other amazing country covers of pop and rock songs.

Stuck In The Middle With You - Keith Urban/The Ranch - Before Keith Urban was the solo superstar he is today, he played in a little three-piece band called 'The Ranch'. After he shot to fame as a solo artist, Keith reissued The Ranch's 1997 album in 2004 with two bonus tracks. A song called 'Billy', and the 1973 Stealer Wheel's hit 'Stuck in the Middle With You.'

My Maria - Brooks and Dunn - Sit back and let the 90s country nostalgia wash over you! But before Brooks and Dunn turned 'My Maria' into one of their signature hit songs, it was also a #1 for co-writer B.W. Stephenson back in 1973. Kix and Ronnie also hit #1 in 1996 and won a Grammy. This song is still great all these years later!

Shine - Dolly Parton with Nickel Creek - If you were one of the few who questioned Dolly Parton's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, shame on you! Dolly has been covering rock songs for years, but perhaps none better than 'Shine',  a rock hit from the band Collective Soul. Dolly teamed up with the group Nickel Creek in 2001 for this bluegrass stunner.

Landslide - The Chicks - Some pop songs were just meant to be turned into classic country tunes. And sometimes, they become bigger hits than the original. It is hard to believe but that is the case with Fleetwood Mac's 'Landslide'. The original stalled out at #51 on the charts back in 1975. The Chicks took it to #2 on the country charts and the cover was the band's lone #1 Adult Contemporary hit.

Hurt - Johnny Cash - In this country music fan's humble opinion, one country cover stands above them all. 'Hurt' was released by Nine Inch Nails in 1995. But when The Man in Black, Johnny Cash, recorded his version in 2002, the song became his. It was Cash towards the end of his life, recalling the good and the bad, and the anguish that came with it all. The video that accompanied the song can only be described as haunting. A great cover makes you forget about the original, and that is exactly what Johnny Cash did.

 

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