From George Jones and Tammy Wynette to Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, country music has long been dominated by duets. The best of these songs are the ones that make you feel like you’ve known them your whole life—the ones that take on a life of their own. This list is dedicated to those songs, which are sure to be remembered for generations to come.
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Whenever two voices of country superstars come together in an inspired pairing, it always becomes truly special. It never fails to move us in ways that many other songs couldn’t. So, take a little break out of your busy day to sit back, relax, and enjoy these top duets from our well-loved country singers – there’s absolutely a song on this list that will have you grooving all day long.
1. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood – “Remind Me”
Brad Paisley teamed up with Carrie Underwood to record this duet that tells the tale of a husband and wife wrestling to rekindle the spark in their relationship.
The song was actually inspired partly by another iconic duet, “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” by Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty – but rather than the standard duet structure where two singers would exchange verses, “Remind Me” comes in a question and answer between Paisley and Underwood.
Paisley also shared that Underwood was the first singer he ever asked to sing the song with him. The two talented singers have gotten pretty close after touring together and co-hosting CMAs for several years.
“We just get along great and sing great together,” Paisley said. “She’s probably pretty much my first choice to sing with when it comes to a duet with a woman like that. I mean, we just sort of share the same values and get along that well. And also, I just don’t think there’s a better singer than her, so it’s sort of selfish to be able to sing with her and perform.”
2. Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson – “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
This song that sings the complications of finding and keeping love was released as the second single from Jason Aldean’s album My Kinda Party. After Aldean and Kelly Clarkson’s performance on the 44th annual Country Music Association Awards in 2010, there was a surge of radio stations’ demands.
But did you know “Don’t You Wanna Stay” was not originally meant to be a duet; however, when Aldean began listening and learning the song, he realized it would make a great one. When asked who his duet partner of choice would be, Kelly Clarkson became her first choice.
“I said, ‘Kelly Clarkson,’ but I didn’t think we’d be able to get her,” Aldean said. “I’ve always been a big fan of hers. I love her voice, and I love her style. Long story short, we got her a copy of the song, and she loved it.”
3. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill – “It’s Your Love”
In 1997, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill soared to the top of the charts with their duet song “It’s Your Love” – reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart where it stayed there for six weeks. It also peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it McGraw’s and Hill’s first top-ten hit on that chart.
A year after the two started dating, McGraw said that he knew as soon as he heard the powerful ballad that he wanted to record it with Hill. “It’s Your Love” won multiple awards, including the Vocal Event of the Year award both on the ACM and CMA. The song then became the first of the several collaborations that the power couple recorded together.
4. Thomas Rhett and Maren Morris – “Craving You”
Thomas Rhett’s 2017 duet with Maren Morris, “Craving You,” ultimately became a chart-topping hit, reaching No. 1 on Billboard US Country Airplay chart as well as Billboard Canada Country.
The moment Rhett heard the demo for the song, he was “blown away by the longing-ness of the story” but didn’t think he was going to record it because he didn’t have anything to do with the writing process. Luckily, the songwriters are super persistent.
And though “Craving You” wasn’t even supposed to be a duet, Rhett finds the addition of Morris, adding “so much life and so much intensity to this song.” Remarkably, Morris recorded her parts within just an hour.
5. Toby Keith and Willie Nelson – “Beer for My Horses”
“Beer for My Horses” was released as the fourth and final single of Toby Keith’s seventh studio album, Unleashed, and was yet another No. 1 hit for the country singer. Adding some cherry on top, the song was the first time Keith and country legend Willie Nelson had done a duet together, and it was all Keith’s idea.
Written by Keith and his frequent collaborator Keith and Scotty Emerick, the song tells the tale of a group of men talking about how they used to catch criminals several ages ago, including an outward description of a lynching.
“After we got finished writing it, he said, ‘Man, you know who’d be perfect to do a duet with? Willie Nelson,'” Emerick recalled. “I said, ‘Man, don’t even say that, that’d be way too cool.’ And then Toby got it done. It happened really easy, too.”
6. Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett – “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere”
Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet scored one of the biggest hits in their entire careers when they recorded “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” in 2003.
Released as the lead single from his compilation album Greatest Hits Volume II, the song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, where it stayed for eight non-consecutive weeks. Moreover, the song also peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song also took home the CMA Award for Vocal Event of the Year and Best Country Song at the Grammy Awards, making it Buffett’s first award in his career that spans three decades.
7. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood – “In Another’s Eyes”
“In Another’s Eyes” was Garth Brooks’ and Trisha Yearwood’s first biggest collaboration. During that time, the two singers were close friends and were married to other spouses. However, in 2001, each has gotten divorced from their respective partners, and Brooks and Yearwood married each other four years later.
It was in 1997 when Brooks co-wrote the song. It was then released as the second single from Yearwood’s compilation album (Songbook) A Collection of Hits, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It also helped the country duo earn the Best Country Collaboration with Vocals award during the 40th Grammy Awards.
8. Brooks and Dunn and Reba McEntire – “Cowgirls Don’t Cry“
Brooks and Dunn released “Cowgirls Don’t Cry” in 2008 as the final single from their Cowboy Town album, featuring Reba McEntire. The song quickly became a hit, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart after McEntire and the country duo performed the song on the 2008 Country Music Association Awards.
Ronnie Dunn wrote the song with his frequent collaborator Terry McBride, and he revealed that he first came across the title “on a T-shirt at the Iowa State Fair.”
“Terry McBride and I were on the bus, and I started talking about it… and we started talking about Reba and hearing her talk about how she grew up, how rough she thought her dad was on her in her rodeo days,” Dunn recalled. “We wrote it and sent the lyrics to her that night.”
Though it wasn’t intended to be a duet, a little friendly competition led them to a truce. “She e-mailed me back about every other week going, ‘Are you gonna cut that song? ‘Cause if not, I am!’ So we finally called a truce, and we’re doing it together,” Dunn said.
9. Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty – “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man”
These two country music legends collaborated on a plethora of duets together during their careers, but it was their lively hit “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” that made Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty a prime duet staple.
In this song, Lynn and Twitty find themselves as long-distance lovers pledging that their love is bigger than the Mississippi River’s wide distance that’s keeping them separated. Twitty promises to brave the waters filled with alligators just to meet the woman he loves on the other side, while Lynn vows to go as far as swimming the distance.
Later on, Lynn revealed that it was actually her husband, Doolittle, who suggested the song to them. “Doo loved Conway,” Lynn said. “We’d been out on tour a couple weeks, and we’d come home. We walked in, and my husband was sitting at the desk. He didn’t usually come into the office. He says, ‘I’ve got a hit for you.’ And Conway says, ‘Oh, my God, he’s got a song for us?!’ It was called ‘Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man.'”
Indeed, the song went No. 1 both on US Billboard Country Songs and Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. “We kind of listened to Doo from then on,” Lynn added.
10. Keith Whitley and Alison Krauss – “When You Say Nothing at All”
This 1988 classic is without a doubt the most beloved love song in country music. It was recorded and released by Keith Whitley off his Don’t Close Your Eyes album. The song eventually reached No. 1 on the Billboard US Hot Country Songs, making it the second in Whitley’s string of five consecutive No. 1 hits.
Written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, Whitley knew he had to release the song immediately. He had previously recorded a masterpiece from the talented songwriting team that went on to be a No. 1 for Randy Travis, and Whitley does not want that to happen to him again.
Five years after his untimely death, Alison Krauss recorded a tribute album to the late country superstar called Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album. Kraus made sure she includes her rendition of “When You Say Nothing At All.” After the album release, country radio started playing the song even though Krauss did not release it yet as a single.
Krauss’s version quickly climbed the charts, that made them come up with an idea to edit both of Whitley and Krauss’s versions together to create a wonderful virtual duet. The two versions being merged is just so seamless, and it sounded as if the two singers were in the studio together.
11. Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty – “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly”
Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty played the funny blame game with their song “You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly.” The two country legends poke fun at each other, pointing fingers at whoever gave their children the bad looks.
While these two talented singers were not the first to record the feisty song, it was their rendition released in their 1978 collaborative studio album Honky Tonk Heroes that landed that song in the hearts of fans.
Every time they perform the sassy duet, Twitty and Lynn prove how stellar their teamwork is, never failing to send fans to laughter over their fiery remarks along with the sacrifices they’ve made and are willing to do in the name of love.
12. Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton – “You Can’t Make Old Friends”
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers achieved long and successful solo careers in this genre while regularly joining forces for duets and tours that led to a lasting friendship. In 2013, the two legends further cemented their friendship when they recorded “You Can’t Make Old Friends” for Roger’s album of the same name.
“Now that summed up our relationship,” Parton has said of the song.
The ballad includes the lines “How will I sing when you are gone? ‘Cause it won’t sound the same. Who will join in on those harmony parts when I call your name?” Those lyrics became even more poignant when Rogers died on March 20, 2020.
13. Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss – “Whiskey Lullaby”
Drinking songs were never an unusual thing in country music – they actually seem to be more popular than ever. But one of the few songs that focused on the outcomes of too much drinking rather than its pleasures were Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss in the song “Whiskey Lullaby.”
The song tells the tale of a couple whose painful separation and broken hearts led them to ultimately drinking themselves to death.
One of its songwriters, Jon Randall, was going through a rough life at the time. He had just gotten a divorce from country singer Lorrie Morgan after almost three years of marriage. Then he lost a record deal and couldn’t find any songwriting contract. Randall found himself frequently drinking whiskey that his manager told him: “Hey man, every now and then, you’ve got to put a bottle to your head and pull the trigger.”
The line stuck on Randall, and he decided to use it in a song.
When Paisley found out about the song, he immediately wanted to record it with either Krauss or Dolly Parton. “It’s an angelic, ghostly bluegrass ballad, really a tragedy,” Paisley said about the song. “And I think when I get to heaven, if the angels don’t sound like Alison Krauss, we have been cheated.”
14. Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard – “Pancho and Lefty”
Ever since the song’s composition and performance by Townes Van Zandt off his 1972 album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt, “Pancho and Lefty” has been recorded by several artists. One of the most notable versions was a duet by country legends Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, selling the most copies and reaching No. 1 on Billboard US Hot Country Singles as well as on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
Nelson and Haggard’s version also received the Grammy Hall of Fame award in 2020.
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15. Reba McEntire and Vince Gill – “The Heart Won’t Lie”
This sweeping, romantic ballad reunited Reba McEntire and Vince Gill. It was released as the second single from McEntire’s album It’s Your Call and it reached No. 1 on the Billboard US Hot Country Songs.
But did you know the song was supposed to be recorded by McEntire with Kenny Rogers? Unfortunately, the two could never get the sound right because of their different vocal ranges. Later on, when McEntire was working on a new album, she remembered the song and asked Rogers if he would record it, and if not, McEntire wanted Rogers to pass it along to her. Apparently, Rogers agreed on the latter.
“We asked Vince Gill to sing the background harmonies on the song. Tony Brown, who was co-producing the CD with me, suggested letting Vince do more than just sing harmony on the song, so he took a couple of verses, and we decided to turn it into a duet,” McEntire recalled. “It worked out well in the end for everyone.”
16. Merle Haggard and Janie Fricke – “A Place to Fall Apart”
Released in 1984 as the second single from Merle Haggard’s album It’s All in the Game, “A Place to Fall Apart” was the first single Haggard and Janie Fricke had teamed up together. The song went to No. 1 on Billboard US Hot Country Songs and spent a total of fourteen weeks on that chart.
Haggard actually wrote the track with fellow country singer Willie Nelson and songwriter Freddy Powers. It fell together from a series of events, beginning with Powers’ idea while driving around Austin, Texas with Nelson one afternoon. The two started throwing around a couple of lines to begin with.
The other parts of the song came into fruition when Powers and Haggard were in Nashville at the Opryland Hotel. During that time, Haggard had been writing songs about his recent divorce from fellow country singer Leona Williams. He turned to Powers and said, “I wish that I could write just one more little song to get her off my mind – finalize it.”
Powers suggested just forgetting about melodies and rhymes and simply writing everything he wanted to say in a letter. The first line of Haggard’s note read, “Leona, I’ll probably never see you eye-to-eye again,” which became the first line of “A Place To Fall Apart.”
17. Reba McEntire and Linda Davis – “Does He Love You”
Reba McEntire and Linda Davis found themselves to be two women in love with the same man and battling out who he truly loves.
Released in 1993 as the first single from McEntire’s compilation album Greatest Hits Volume Two, the song became one of the most awarded songs of their careers. It took home Best Country Vocal Collaboration during Grammy Awards and Vocal Event of the Year at the CMA Award.
18. Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood – “Somethin’ Bad”
Calling Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood, the leading ladies of today’s country music, would be an understatement. In 2014, the two made “Somethin’ Bad” sound really good when they premiered the fierce collaboration at the Billboard Music Awards.
The song is from Lambert’s album “Platinum.” It snagged the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, making it the first country song by a female duo to reach the country summit in more than two decades.
19. Rascal Flatts and Lauren Alaina – “Are You Happy Now”
When the Rascal Flatts members wrote the song four years before it was released as a single off their 2017 album Back to Us, they actually reached out to Taylor Swift first – unfortunately, she said no.
“And so, we put the song on the back burner for a long time and circled back around this time,” Jay DeMarcus said. And this time, it’s with Season 10 American Idol runner-up Lauren Alaina who showed off her powerful voice.
20. Blake Shelton and Ashley Monroe – “Lonely Tonight”
Blake Shelton and Pistol Annies member Ashley Monroe played former lovers who reconnected for one last night in “Lonely Tonight.” It was released to country radio in 2014 as the second single off Shelton’s album, Bringing Back the Sunshine.
The song reached No. 1 both on Billboard US Country Airplay and Billboard Canada Country charts. It also peaked at No. 2 on Billboard US Hot Country Songs.
21. Big & Rich and Tim McGraw – “Lovin’ Lately”
Country music duo Big & Rich tapped their good friend Tim McGraw to sing “Lovin’ Lately.”
“That was his title,” John Rich said. “He told it to us in a parking lot in Canada, where we were doing a show with him. He said he had a song title — ‘Who You Been Loving Lately?’ We thought it was brilliant. We wrote it, recorded it, and emailed it to him.” To which McGraw responded by writing “an entire video script for the song.”
22. Brothers Osborne and Lee Ann Womack – “Loving Me Back”
When the country music duo finished recording “Loving Me Back,” John Osborne said that though they thought it sounded really good, “it felt like it was missing one extra thing that just made it spectacular. At the time, [getting Womack on the song] seemed like a wild idea.”
Luckily, Womack instantly agreed to lend her vocals to the song. “She’s country music royalty, and she’s one of the greats that will forever be. It was definitely, out of all the things we will achieve in our careers, that was one of the bucket list things,” John added.
23. Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner – “Please Don’t Stop Loving Me”
Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner famously worked together on several hit singles and duet albums, and “Please Don’t Stop Loving Me” is just one among the many songs they’ve written and recorded together.
The song was released in 1974 as the first single from the album Porter’ n’ Dolly – the duo’s eleventh collaborative studio album. It’s their only No. 1 hit on the country chart as a duet act.
24. Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers – “Islands in the Stream”
When Bee Gees realized their method is going out of style by the early 1980s, they decided to start writing songs – including “Islands in the Stream.” The song sailed into several charts, not only in the United States but also in several territories.
It topped Billboard’s US Hot Country Songs, US Hot 100, and US Adult Contemporary. After becoming available for digital download, it has also sold over 800,000 digital copies in the United States as of 2019.
25. Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow – “Picture”
Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow wrote the hit duet together and was released to radio in 2002 off Rock’s album Cocky. The song turned out to be a success, not only commercially but also critically – making it Rock’s highest-charting single ever on the chart of Billboard Hot 100.
26. Lee Greenwood and Suzy Bogguss – “Hopelessly Yours”
The song was written by some of the biggest names in country music, namely Keith Whitley, Curly Putman, and Don Cook. However, Whitley’s recorded demo version was never released. George Jones was the first one to do so in 1986 off his album Wine Colored Roses.
Six years later, Lee Greenwood and Suzy Bogguss covered “Hopelessly Yours” as a duet. Their version earned a nomination for Best Country Vocal Collaboration during the Grammy Awards.
27. Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani – “Go Ahead and Break My Heart”
“Go Ahead and Break My Heart” was Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani’s first collaboration. The ideas behind the song started after the now-engaged couple shared similar insecurities with each other.
“We were just writing it about … it was hard to kind of let our guards down again, you know what I mean? Just going through some issues, and so that’s what the song was even written about,” Shelton said about the song. “It’s like, I know something bad is going to happen because it always does, so let’s just get it over with now.”
28. Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson – “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”
The song that is warning every mother not to let their kids become cowboys because the nomadic and challenging life of cowboy culture became a big hit in 1978. Thanks to Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson’s rendition, which did not only reach No. 1 on Billboard US Hot Country Songs but also won Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
29. Loretta Lynn and Jack White – “Portland, Oregon”
In 2004, Loretta Lynn recorded “Portland, Oregon” as a duet with American rock singer Jack White.
But Lynn actually wrote the song years before its recording date, and it was based on a real event. At the time, Lynn’s husband got involved with other women that she put on an act of having a relationship with her guitarist to make him jealous.
30. Chris Young and Cassadee Pope – “Think of You”
While Cassadee Pope was on a gig in West Palm Beach, Florida, little did she know that Chris Young was searching for a female singer to be his duet partner. “So, I just do what I always do and belt it out and have fun, and I guess he liked what he heard,” Pope said. “So, the next thing I know, I’m getting an email from my manager saying, ‘Chris Young wants you to sing on a song with him,’ and I heard the song, freaked out. There was no hesitation – I said yes right away!”
31. Kenny Chesney and Pink –“Setting the World on Fire”
Kenny Chesney said that the song’s lyrics are “a perfect way of saying it, but when you feel that melody rise, the arrangement picking up momentum — it’s bigger than you are, and all you want to do is throw yourself against the night.”
“Then when Pink comes in,” the singer added, “well, that just brings this [song] to life.”
32. Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn – “If You See Him, If You See Her”
After their wildly successful co-headlining tour in 1997, “If You See Him, If You See Her” came to life a year later. The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country chart and the Canada Country Tracks chart.
33. George Jones and Tammy Wynette – “Golden Ring”
Like many of the duets, George Jones and Tammy Wynette recorded when they were still husband and wife, the genuine sense of romantic tragedy in “Golden Ring” resonated with many fans. Especially on how hauntingly the same it is to the real-life timbre of their troubled, on-again-off-again relationship.
34. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill – “Let’s Make Love”
In 2001, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill earned a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, thanks to “Let’s Make Love.” The song was released as the third single from Hill’s album, Breathe, and was also featured on McGraw’s first compilation album, Greatest Hits.
35. Alan Jackson and George Strait – “Murder on Music Row”
Two decades ago, Alan Jackson and George Strait joined forces to record a song that indirectly criticized the pop-inspired country music transition that most classic artists believed was weakening the genre’s roots. Even if it was never released as a single, the song received so much attention that it landed on the Billboard US Hot Country Songs.
36. Eric Church and Rhiannon Giddens – “Kill a Word”
The song was released during a time when violence in the country was quite rampant.
“It’s a pretty charged-up time right now. At the end of the day, we all have to get along. I don’t care what your belief is – we can’t kill each other. It can’t happen that way,” Eric Church said. “There’s a lot of racial tension in this country, a lot of authoritative tension with police, and I think all that stuff makes for a tumultuous time.”
37. Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood – “The Fighter”
Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood played the roles of two lovers having a meaningful conversation. The song was actually inspired by Urban’s relationship with his wife Nicole Kidman when they were just starting to date.
“It was just a very quick, quick song to write because I literally thought about Nic and I and our relationship in the beginning, and some of the things we had said all went into that song,” Urban revealed.
38. Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton – “When I Get Where I’m Going”
Whenever Brad Paisley teams up with female vocalists, the singer never fails to transform every duet into a massive hit. Take, for instance, “When I Get Where I’m Going,” which features harmony vocals from Dolly Parton. The song was well-received, not only in country music but as well as in the Christian genre.
It became a No. 1 hit on Billboard US Hot Country Songs and won Vocal Event of the Year during the CMA Award.
39. Shania Twain and Billy Currington – “Party for Two”
When Shania Twain teamed up with her fellow country singer Billy Currington, she achieved one of the most successful duets in her career.
The song is a dialogue between Twain and Currington where she asked him to join her party, but the big catch was that it would be just the two of them.
40. Brad Paisley and John Fogerty – “Love and War”
In 2017, Brad Paisley teamed up with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Fogerty for “Love and War” – a song that details the mistreatment of veterans in our nation. The song was released as the title track of Paisley’s album, and the country superstar has said he knew he could only write the powerful ballad with Fogerty, and if the song didn’t come to life, he’d need to change the title of his album.
So, there you have it, the top country duets of all time. We could actually still go on and on if we want to!
