Outlaw country

Outlaw country carries a particular history. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Outlaws & Armadillos project examines artistic exchange between Nashville and Austin during the 1970s. Its documented figures include Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and others working through that period.

Use that historical route before applying the word to a new performer. A style of dress or a rugged vocal does not establish participation in the original movement. Contemporary records can point back to an influence without belonging to the same time, place, or set of relationships.

Our listener’s map links the museum’s account and explains how to use the term for discovery. This seed guide does not automatically classify the five featured contemporary artists as outlaws, and it does not manufacture a historical discography to fill an archive.