Iconic Queer Country Artists Through Time

In honor of Pride Month this year, The Nash News is highlighting six iconic queer country artists through the decades.

1. Wilma Burgess

Wilma Burgess was a country singer who rose to fame during the 1960s. Her cover of Bob Montgomery’s “Misty Blue” (1966) brought her talent to the foreground, where she then

solidified her fame with charted singles such as “Don’t Touch Me” (1966). The work of Burgess is unique as she specifically put an ambiguous twist on the songs, providing gender-neutral pronouns rather than directly referring to a man. In later years, she would withdraw from the music industry and go on to open and run Nashville’s first “women-only” bar in the late 1980s, titled The Hitchin’ Post.

2. Lavender Country

The rambunctious band of queer folk, Lavender Country, led by singer and guitarist Patrick

Haggerty debuted during the early 1970s. As a gay man, Haggerty felt inclined to become involved in the gay rights movement and invited peers to collaborate on a gay-themed country album. In 1973 their album was released under the self-titled name Lavender Country. Haggerty reclaimed the term ‘lavender,’ which was often used throughout history to represent queer people. In early 2022, almost 50 years after their debut, Lavender Country would rejoin for their second album, Blackberry Rose, which features a return to some of their classic work in addition to new music.

3. k.d. lang

This Canadian artist was a pioneer in alternative-country music. From the beginning of her music career, lang strived to be outside the norm in musical style and appearance. lang would often perform in an androgynous-styled fashion, standing out from the other female country artists. The charismatic and campy artist rose to fame during the 1980s and had great success with her first two albums, A Truly Western Experience (1984) and Angel With a Lariat (1987). In 1988 she would collaborate with iconic female country artists Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, and Kitty Wells for her single, “Honkey Tonk Angels’ Medley.” The experimental artist has collected multiple Grammys and other high honors. Through the years, lang has maintained her iconic country spark and continues to create new music.

4. Karen & the Sorrows

This group of queer folks arrived on the music scene during the 2010s with their first album,

The Names of Things (2014). Their third and most recent album, Guaranteed Broken Heart

(2019), received high praise from Billboard and Rolling Stone. The work from Karen & the

Sorrows is thoughtful and reflective because it dives into the soul of country music and unravels its history. Karen Pittelman, the band’s lead, felt called upon to be an active voice in the growing queer country community. In 2011, Pittelman created the Gay Ole Opry Festival and the Queer Country Quarterly, which provided creative spaces for queer country lovers and allies to participate.

5. Amythyst Kiah

Amythyst Kiah is a young queer Black musician and vocalist who has received Grammy

recognition for her music, specifically her hit song “Black Myself” (2021). The first album from

Kiah, Dig (2013), was heavily rooted in traditional folk music. Kiah would follow with her second composition, Wary + Strange (2021), which carries a pleasant blend between folk and alternative country. Still as fierce as she was back in her premiere, her latest songs, “Firewater” and “Wild Turkey,” showcase her songwriting, instrumental, and vocal skillsets of Kiah.

6. Paisley Fields

Since 2013, Fields has been incorporating queer stories into country tunes. Like the work of Orville Peck, another queer country artist, Fields’ music encompasses feelings of love and loneliness. From his debut album, Glitter & Stardust (2018), to his latest album, Electric Park

Ballroom (2020), Fields showcases his signature talent with the piano. In his song, “Stay Away

From My Man” (2020), Fields teamed up with Patrick Haggerty from Lavender Country to produce an upbeat and humorous track.

Do you like going to concerts? You can get $20 OFF your first order at SeatGeek! Use promo code: THENASHNEWS at checkout.

To hear more of country music’s best new releases, head to our Playlists Page and follow The Nash New Releases playlist on Spotify. For the latest in country music news follow The Nash News on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, and don’t miss our brand-new newsletter!

Please note that this article may have affiliate links or The Nash News may receive compensation. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.