Country music has a reputation for turning broken hearts into beautiful songs, and some of the greatest ones in the genre’s history are duets.
Johnny Cash and June Carter, George Jones and Tammy Wynette and other duos paved the way with flawless harmonies and striking lyrics that got to the heart of things. In the case of Jones and Wynette, the pair were married from 1969 to 1975 and chronicled their ups and downs in their music. Even after their romantic relationship ended, they continued to earn chart-topping duets together on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs tally.
Many other country couples have followed in the musical footsteps of Jones and Wynette. For instance, throughout their decades-long marriage, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have released Grammy-winning duets and a collaborative album titled The Rest of Our Life.
Upon the project’s 2017 release, McGraw explained how he and Hill navigate their professional relationship. “We’re different artists. We approach things differently,” he said on the Today show. “We [have] a different style of music, and I think that my stuff’s different and her stuff’s different than it is when we’re working together. We sort of look at it as a third act that’s a whole different kind of music when we record together.”
While couples often perform loved-up duets within the genre, the category is certainly not limited to the romantically involved. In fact, some of the most popular team-ups have been between friends, such as Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers or Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty. Other partnerships have been strictly business, showing off the vocal talents of two extraordinary artists who happen to sound great together.
Spanning decades and relationship statuses, take a look at the 25 best country love song duets below.
