10 Rock Stars That Went Country (And Nailed It)

Folk music has always been like country music's savage cousin. Even though country music may be more focused on melody a lot of the time, folk is a lot more DIY in its presentation, with nothing standing between the audience and singer except for a guitar and a microphone. When you start getting looked at as a musical god though, you need something to help bring you back down to Earth.

Since Bob Dylan was starting to have the "Voice of a Generation" title thrusted on him, he was trying everything he could to shake off the god complex people had of him. While Self Portrait was the biggest example of him trying to sabotage his career, the first significant shift was when he went country on Nashville Skyline, including country-fied versions of his celebrated songs like Girl From the North Country. Along with the immortal ballad Lay Lady Lay, Dylan isn't too shabby getting his twang on, suiting his already raspy voice a lot better than you would think.

Though Dylan had always kept a certain mystique about him throughout his records, these songs feel like we're getting a closer look at the kind of Dylan that exists outside of the spotlight. Outside of the people trying to pick apart his lyrics, he could just be one of the cowboys around the fire strumming away and trying to write that one more great song. The classics aren't going anywhere, but it's nice to see Dylan as a person rather than the myth.