Ace Records has announced a country music tribute to Bruce Springsteen,“Springsteen’s Country”, to be released on 30th May 2025. The release has been compiled by Sean Rowley whose previous work includes ”Ladies Sing The Boss” (Ace, 2022) which featured the Patti Smith Group, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris and Bettye Lavette.
Over the last five decades Springsteen’s songwriting has intertwined with all forms of American roots music, including country to folk to Americana, bluegrass to rockabilly. This influence emerged on some of the songs written for “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” (1978). Even the chord progressions were much simpler, more country. Then came ‘The River’ and ‘Wreck On The Highway’, both in 1980, which saw him interpolating lyrics from Hank Williams’ songs (a trick he repeated on ‘Mansion On A Hill’ and ‘Born In The USA’). By the time he got to “Nebraska” (1982), country music was woven into the core of his writing.
“Springsteen’s Country” includes interpretations from Johnny Cash, Travis Tritt, Kenny Chesney, Neat Coty, and Sonny Burgess each shining their own light into Springsteen’s songwriting attic to offer up their own interpretations. Taken overall it shows the lasting impact Springsteen has made on the country music community, not only through his songs but also the characters he inhabits.
You can pre-order “Springsteen’s Country” here.
Track listing:
Johnny 99 – Johnny Cash
Tougher Than The Rest – Travis Tritt
Atlantic City – John Anderson
All That Heaven Will Allow – The Mavericks
Sad Eyes – Neal Coty
One Step Up – Kenny Chesney
The Price You Pay – Emmylou Harris
If I Should Fall Behind – Paul Ansell
Fire – Lera Lynn
Tiger Rose – Sonny Burgess
Ain’t Got You – Solomon Burke
Stand On It – Mel McDaniel
Reason To Believe – The Beat Farmers
From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come) – Nitty Gritty Band
Darlington County – Jeff Stevens & The Bullets
Girls In Their Summer Clothes – Doc Walker
I’m On Fire – Town Mountain
Racing In The Street – The Breakman
The Rising – The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow
State Trooper (live) – Steve Earle
Would have loved to have seen The Band’s “Atlantic City” on there. But maybe they did not fit the “country” format.