The 53 Best Texas and Red Dirt Country Songs

On their own, the words "best," Texas" and "country" are pretty easy to define. But put them together and it's a whole other matter. There's no real definition of what makes a song or an artist "Texas country," certainly not one on which the genre's diverse fanbase could ever agree upon. It's an unscientific calculation that involves a little history, a little geography, a mix of sounds and styles and a whole lot of intuition.

We'll be the first to admit that you don't have to be from Texas to find yourself lumped into Texas country. So, yes, native Texan Robert Earl Keen is obviously a Texas country artist, but as far as we see it, so too is Kentucky great Chris Knight and North Carolina's epic American Aquarium. Don't ask us why, it's just that way.

When you mention Texas country to fans in the know, it's often synonymous with red dirt, a subgenre especially near and dear to country music fans of North Texas, although it's native to Oklahoma. Artists such as Cody Canada, Mike McClure, Stoney LaRue and Jason Boland took what they learned from the likes of Bob Childers and Tom Skinner, who knew how to blend rock, folk, blues and country into one satisfying stew. In fact, red dirt shares a number of traits both sonically and philosophically with Texas country. It's often rebellious and rootsy to a fault. 

Whittling down a list of the best Texas and red dirt country songs of the last 30-plus years makes for an exhaustive task, one that inevitably sparks much debate. That was certainly the case when we originally ran this list in 2015. And since so much music has been released over the past nine years, and some pretty major developments have occurred in the scene, we decided now was a good time to update it. The addition of some new songs means that some from that original list are now gone. And while we were at it, a couple of songs that should've been included in the 2015 list but weren't are now noted here. Hindsight is pretty cool like that. 

It's also important to specify here that this list contains far more than the biggest hits of the past few decades. Sure, we chose some ubiquitous tunes that everyone knows, but we also picked some deep cuts and tunes that might merely be an artist's third or fourth most popular song for this list. And why stop at 50?

Here are the 53 songs that rise to the top of what's been an outstanding era of Texas country and red dirt music.

53. “I Hope He Breaks Your Heart,” American Aquarium

Like we said, who needs a map to determine what is and is not Texas country? BJ Barham has just got to be part Texan as far as we're concerned. From 2009, the title of this smackdown song is certainly enough to show you the bitterness it’s intended to convey, but you wouldn’t feel such emotion if you watched the live performance of this song below. The singalong the crowd does is especially cathartic.

52. “Give It Some Time,” Tanner Usrey

Tanner Usrey, a Prosper native, is one of the few people who actually lived there back when Deion Sanders’ mansion was one of the only landmarks. Usrey is a newer export whose take on the red dirt style includes a soulful inflection. This especially shows in this song’s bridge, when Usrey takes on an octave higher than one would expect from listening to the verses.

51. “She Left Me for Jesus,” Hayes Carll

This song joins the likes of “A Boy Named Sue” by Johnny Cash and “Goodbye Earl” by the (Dixie) Chicks as one of country music’s funniest. In case it’s not obvious: this song is about the titular love interest telling the narrator that she’s found this lovely guy named Jesus.

And if Jesus happens to be reading this, you’re on notice: Hayes Carll is angry that you stole his girl.

50. "Marfa Lights," Kaitlin Butts

Over the past couple of years, Oklahoma native Butts has become one of the artists most dubbed as “up and coming” by those who follow independent country music, but we think she’s long since arrived. Her collaboration with Flatland Cavalry may have put her on some people’s radar, but the psychedelic cosmic country “Marfa Lights” from 2021 is the best example of just why she more than stands out all on her own.

49. "Oh, Tonight," Josh Abbott Band

Josh Abbott quickly made his mark as one of Texas country's most promising stars and has been delivering on that promise for many years. He's good at packing venues across Texas, after honing his skills in the bars and ice houses of Lubbock. Recorded with Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves, "Oh Tonight" is the kind of love song duet that country music will always need more of.

48. "Thunderbird (Will Do Just Fine)," Eleven Hundred Springs

Prior to the end of their run in 2021, Eleven Hundred Springs had been the quintessential Texas honky-tonk band for decades. Even with so many great songs under their figurative leather belt, an 1100 show would simply be incomplete without the crowd yelling, "Roll up another joint" along with lead singer Matt Hillyer. 

47. "Stockyards," Casey Donahew Band

It's kind of difficult to write a proper ode to a place that smells like cow shit, but Casey Donahew has done a fine job. Everyone who's ever lived in or even visited Fort Worth has a special affinity for the Stockyards, even if we didn't start our music careers there.

46. "Cry Pretty," Jason Eady

Though Jason Eady's past couple of albums have seen the former military man become one of our finest old-school honky-tonk heroes, this blues-inflected ballad from 2009 is simply gorgeous. We've likely all run into a former lover after we've moved on, only to bittersweetly remember why they were special to us so long ago.

45. "Yesterday Road," The Great Divide

There will be plenty of folks who will tell you, correctly, that without Mike McClure and The Great Divide, the red dirt sounds of Oklahoma might not have ever made it that far past the Red River. The band’s enormous influence is hard to calculate, but their country-rock songs are easily enjoyed. This 1999 track brilliantly showcases McClure’s distinct vocals wrapped around his magnetic storytelling.

44. "I'll Sing About Mine," Adam Hood

Adam Hood's voice is the audio definition of Southern soul. This song is the perfect antidote to bro-country's pitiful attempts at trying to describe small-town life through the voices of rich superstars. 

43. "Stone," Whiskey Myers

Whiskey Myers has long been the Lone Star State’s answer to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and we mean that in the best way possible, of course. But after all these years, even that high praise sells the Cody Cannon-led crew short. Similar to Cody Jinks and Koe Wetzel, this band’s barn-burning rockers can crumble the walls of the arenas they play, but it's when they slow things down, as they do in this standout 2016 ballad from the Mud LP, that the true soul of Whiskey Myers shines brightest.

42. "Hell of a Year," Parker McCollum

Just before he became one of mainstream country music’s top hitmakers, Parker McCollum had already triumphed in Texas thanks to his keen ability to write thoughtful, folk-inflected songs that could be quiet ballads and epic anthems at the same time. “Hell of a Year” meanders along with an ache in McCollum’s voice that’s both profound and relatable.

41. "Lord Loves a Drinking Man," Kevin Fowler

This is basically a Texas country church song. Hell-raising honky-tonker Kevin Fowler reminds us that even though we're all a big bunch of alcoholic sinners, the good Lord loves us. Raise a glass and take solace in this Western-swing-influenced tune.

40. "Dreams and Gasoline," Rob Baird

Rob Baird established himself as a fine writer with a distinctive voice well over a decade ago, and this sweeping song, a classic take of what a person needs to truly be free, is a major reason why every new Baird release is worth paying attention to.

39. "Ragged as the Road," Reckless Kelly

Few have traveled the roads of this country more than the men of Reckless Kelly. In this chugging road anthem, inspired by Woody Guthrie's book Bound for Glory, the guys put on a roots-rock clinic. In fact, the band has traveled so many miles, that it is now in the middle of a 2024 farewell tour that signals the end of the band as a full-time entity. 

38. "July in Cheyenne (Song for Lane's Momma)," Aaron Watson

For well over a dozen albums, Aaron Watson has been as "country" as Texas country can get. And there's hardly anything more country than singing about a rodeo hero. This moving tribute to fallen rodeo legend Lane Frost immediately shot to the top of Watson's fine catalog upon its release in 2012.

37. "The Old Man," Jack Ingram

In his earliest, post-Southern Methodist University days, Ingram was hell-bent on rising above "party singer" status. This story of some sage advice given by an old guy certainly went against the norm for many bands playing Adair's Saloon at the time. And it has stood the test of time, as drunk frat boys still yell for this tune at Ingram shows.

36. "Trains I Missed," Walt Wilkins

Narrowing down a list of any kind can be daunting, especially when it's time to look at the work of arguably the state's most gifted songwriter (some say that's not an argument). This 2007 track offers the age-old philosophical question of "What if?" in an intimately warm package that few others could provide.

35. "Worth the Fight," The Departed

When Cross Canadian Ragweed broke up, Cody Canada got to work quickly with The Departed. The group's first album of original material, Adventus, saw Canada head into a different sonic direction than before, but the album's lead single is a blistering rocker with the signature Canada attitude.

34. "Boomtown," Dirty River Boys

This El Paso four-piece recently announced its dissolution, but for years it was arguably the best band touring Texas. More than any other song from their early days, "Boomtown" encapsulates the wild nature of this group's thrilling live show and ability to write a song the crowd can sing along with.

33. "Wear My Ring," Bart Crow

As we've noted already, the bitterness that love gone wrong can produce is more than ample fodder for the best songwriters in Texas. Bart Crow has had a fine career, thanks to a number of excellent albums and never-ending touring, but count us in the group that will never get enough of his signature "screw you" tune from 2006. 

32. "Ten Years Pass," Sunny Sweeney

Sunny Sweeney is a true honky tonk angel who's seen success as both a major label artist and independently. This song about going back to her hometown after a decade proved she could offer an atmospheric rock-tinged number with the hardcore country of her earliest work.

31. "Drunk Driving," Koe Wetzel

This East Texas native rock star has more famous songs, more irreverent songs, and ones that may work better with the pyrotechnics of his bombastic live show, but “Drunk Driving” from his 2020 major label debut Sellout, is the type of Wetzel tune we like the most. With a moody, atmospheric arrangement and production, Wetzel acknowledges his “sins” while never apologizing for them, something he is better at than just about anyone else.

30. "I Have Not Forgotten You," Kelly Willis

For our money, it's hard to beat Kelly Willis's 1999 album What I Deserve, and this standout track from that effort. Well before she began collaborating with her now ex-husband Bruce Robison, Willis was playing this song on The Late Show with David Letterman and making waves all on her own, something she's still doing today. 

29. "Guinivere," Eli Young Band

From the Denton-formed group's 2008 major label debut, "Guinevere" is just the right kind of ballad to a complicated lady. This isn't the group's biggest hit, of which they have many, nor does it rock as hard as their biggest live show favorites, but it still somehow showcases so much of what makes Eli Young Band one of the most successful groups to ever emerge from the regional Texas country scene. 

28. "Pearl Snaps," Jason Boland

Perhaps he's calmed down in recent years, but devoting entire tracks to extolling the virtues of booze and other intoxicants is something Jason Boland made his name with in his earliest albums. There are not many constants in this world, but as Boland memorably sings in this classic, cheap bourbon whiskey and pearl snap shirts will always be here for us, and never change.

27. "Loving County," Charlie Robison

Robison's 2023 death came just after he had finally made his comeback from a throat surgery that reportedly had gone wrong. Having him hit the road again and hear the shouted requests for this detailed story of a desperate man wanting to buy his woman a ring was hopefully something he enjoyed after several years away from the adoring crowds.

26. "Alabama," Cross Canadian Ragweed

In their day, Cross Canadian Ragweed was a spot-on blend of Southern rock and red dirt country, a sound prominent in "Alabama." It's a hard-rocking love song, which is sort of rare, but that's exactly why it's so distinct. That urgent guitar lick after Canada wails "they talked about Savannah, sweet home Alabama, and how he missed the way she always smiled ..." is something we'll forever yearn for. 

25. "God Bless This Town," Wade Bowen

Bowen's a small-town guy, as are many fans of Texas country. So in this hard-charging tune, when he sings about the behind-the-back chatter one endures in said small town, it's easy to understand what he really means when he sings, "God bless this town."

24. "Corpus Christi Bay," Robert Earl Keen

Living in this concrete city, it's easy to forget that there are Texas beaches. Some days, it's easy to want to just slip away and become a beach bum in Corpus Christi. All of our fantasies about skipping out on our jobs and moving down south have Robert Earl Keen's voice on "Corpus Christi Bay" in our ears, even if we're not really listening to Keen warn us about the consequences of beach life.

23. "Kiss Me in the Dark," Randy Rogers Band

It's hard to write a song that is as equally at home on a honky-tonk jukebox and your getting-it-on playlist, but "Kiss Me in The Dark" is the best of both. This is a thoroughly country song that is unapologetically about having passionate, mind-blowing sex, and in this day and age where everyone disagrees on everything it seems, isn't that something we can all get behind?

22. "Down In Flames," Stoney LaRue

Stoney LaRue is one of those artists, like pretty much all of his fellow red dirt brothers from Oklahoma, who knows how to swagger while he sings. "Down in Flames" is the perfect kind of song for jilted exes and pissed-off partners, and just may have been the impetus for a keyed car or two.

21. "Freeze Frame Time," Brandon Rhyder

Brandon Rhyder has long had a rep as one of the finest pure vocalists in the scene. He's a talented songwriter as well. Combine his ability to nail a soaring chorus with goosebump-inducing lines out enjoying the seemingly small but hugely precious moments of family life, and you have a fine example of how emotionally deep red dirt can be.

20. "Gin, Smoke, Lies," Turnpike Troubadours

When this Evan Fleker-led outfit returned from an extended hiatus in 2022 they had become bigger, much bigger, than they had even been before the break. We love their 2023 comeback album, Cat in the Rain, but the standout track from the group's 2012 Goodbye Normal Street is the one we'll scream for at every one of their shows. 

19. "Everclear," Roger Creager

In the earliest days of the '90s Texas country boom, a few songs stepped forward to become anthems that anyone in a Texas dancehall would know by heart. There is probably an entire generation of frat boys who have scars that can be directly attributed to this song. When Creager sings about pumping a watermelon full of Everclear at a Baptist picnic, it makes us all want to go to church.

18. "George's Bar," Pat Green

Without question, this is one of the songs that made people start paying attention to Pat Green way back when. And by that we mean a whole hell of a lot of people began paying attention. The song might ostensibly be about a bar, but it's not about drinking, yet it is still a rousing number to pound some beers. Perhaps more than anyone else, Green has perfected such a formula over decades and countless sold-out shows.

17. "The Painter," Cody Johnson

There’s no denying it: Cody Johnson is one of the biggest mainstream country stars filling stadiums today. Not that anyone in Texas is surprised. CoJo released several albums worth of ‘90s-country influenced gems to the tune of billions of streams prior to releasing Leather, his 2023 LP. As much as we dig his back catalog, it’s hard to argue that Johnson didn’t reach new artistic highs with “The Painter,” a tender, perfectly written ode to his wife, Brandi, that, of course, topped the charts and dominated country radio across the U.S. .

16. "Snake Farm," Ray Wylie Hubbard

Every once in a while, you have to acknowledge the more redneck elements of country music. It's just a rite of passage. This song, of course, is not about an actual zoo that features reptiles but a strip club where the guy has fallen for a counter girl named Ramona with a python tattoo on her arm. We agree, Ray Wylie, that the snake farm does sound nasty. And that's kind of what we love about it.

15. "Nashville Blues," Cory Morrow

While we've all moved on (sort of, anyways) from the "Nashville Sucks" vibes that Texas A&M grad Morrow helped propel in the 1990s, there's little to disagree with in this tribute to the sounds and artists that made Nashville great and a place where aspiring dudes from Texas take their best shot.

14. "Cast No Stones," Cody Jinks

A former metalhead turned outlaw country songwriter, Cody Jinks has become a bankable country star across the U.S., all while doing it independently. In 2015, Jinks’ star really began to rise thanks to his stellar Adobe Sessions LP, which features this twangy judgment of those who judge others. None other than The Rock himself has quoted this song on his Instagram.


 

13. "Angry all the Time," Bruce Robison

Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis were once Texas Country's power couple, but life imitated art, or something like that, when the pair announced their divorce in 2022. This sad, heart-wrenching ballad topped the mainstream national country charts when it was covered by Tim McGraw in 2001, but Robison's duet recording with Willis will always be the best version of this song, hands down. If you've ever been in a relationship that's gone south, you know exactly what they're talking about.

12. "Biloxi," Jack Ingram

Ingram's Hey You is a Texas Country must-have album. It's packed with tunes that are still played regularly on regional radio, for good reason. But this dramatic, mournful opening track about Ingram's father skipping town for a new life without him is nothing short of masterful.

11. "Vancouver," Reckless Kelly

From their stellar Under the Table and Above the Sun, this stirring account of thinking about a lost love no matter where one might be (even on a concrete block in Little Rock) is simple but profound and hits you where it hurts.

10. "Somewhere Down in Texas," Jason Boland & The Stragglers

Songs about Texas are wildly successful in Texas. Unlike Boland's usual upbeat, party-driven tunes, "Somewhere Down In Texas" is a well-written ode to this state that we all love so much. It's a superbly tender moment for Boland, the kind that only a place like Texas could inspire, we like to think. There's a girl, of course, but she's totally secondary to the prettiest lady of all, Texas.

9. "She Likes the Beatles," William Clark Green

William Clark Green has long since made his place as one of the genre's most talented artists. While mainstream country often relies on stereotypical views of women, "She Likes the Beatles" is an honest look at making it work with someone you love, quirks and all. And when you catch Green performing this live, with a bit of "Helter Skelter" thrown in for good measure, you'll get a solid dose of the range that makes Green so dynamic. 

8. "Feet Don't Touch The Ground," Brandon Jenkins

The Stoney LaRue cover of this song gained the broadest appeal, but Brandon Jenkins' original version is the best kind of love song. It's the kind of slow song that brings everyone out to the dance floor, and has often served as the first dance tune at weddings. Jenkins died in 2018 from complications following heart surgery, but classics such as this ensure his voice will never go unheard.

7. "Tonight's Not the Night (For Goodbye)," Randy Rogers Band

Randy Rogers' voice is one of the signature ones people associate with Texas country, likely because of this song. Co-written by Rogers and legendary songwriter Radney Foster, this tale of taking the next dramatic step in a new relationship sounds just as compelling now as it did when it was released 20 years ago. 

6. "Seventeen," Cross Canadian Ragweed

Anyone who grew up in a small town knows exactly how accurate this Ragweed classic is. There are plenty of good songs about going back to the place you call home, but there's never been a lyric more true than "you're always 17 in your hometown." Texas country and red dirt can both be particularly effective in its ability to evoke memories from the "good old days," and this is the best example of that tendency.

5. "Fifty Dollars And A Flask Of Crown," Bleu Edmonson

If you're getting ready for a night out, this song is exactly what you need to get pumped up, even if you're really not much of a cowboy. Many shots of Crown Royal have been consumed in honor of Bleu Edmonson's most popular track, even though there are many whiskeys that are much better. This is basically the soundtrack to your first arrest, which makes it that much more special. 

4. "Wave on Wave," Pat Green

The chorus to this 2003 Green mega-hit might be the most recognizable, universally beloved Texas country chorus of the current millennium. It's certainly the song that turned Green into a national star. For an artist who knows his way around an anthem, this rousing standard is his perfect case study for how to bring people to their feet in song.

3. "Down the Road Tonight," Hayes Carll

This gritty juke-joint anthem put Hayes Carll on the map in 2005. With seeming non sequiturs lined up one after another, a story unfolds: a looking-down-the-rabbit-hole kind of story involving a Hooters waitress, "duct tape dealers" and how "Michael Jackson peaked at Thriller."

2. "Hometown," Charlie Robison

The most iconic song from one of the true giants of the Texas country scene is as wistful as it is edgy. Charlie's brother Bruce wrote the song, but knew Charlie's voice belonged on classic lines such as, "Well, we worked 80 hours making time and a half, but LaGrange was too damn hot. We drove back home at the end of that week and we spent it all on pot." It's difficult to imagine that this song will ever not be on the Mount Rushmore of Texas country songs.

1. "The Road Goes On Forever (And The Party Never Ends)," Robert Earl Keen

If there is a more seminal song in Texas country than this, we'll kiss your ass. There have been many beers, many fights and many nights at Texas honky-tonks spent to the soundtrack of this Robert Earl Keen classic. Even today, if you play it at a Texas bar, plenty of people will raise a glass in respect of Texas Country's greatest track, and they'll know every word.