Recalling 21 Of The Best Country Covers In “Voice” History
on Dec 13, 2023 • Updated Apr 17, 2024
Revisit 21 Unforgettable Country Covers From Past Seasons Of The Voice
The Voice has been on the air since 2011. Over those years, viewers have watched hundreds of singers perform during the blind auditions, battles, knockouts, and live shows.
Several country singers have competed on (and even won) The Voice. Naturally, they delivered some of the best country covers on the show. Yet other memorable country performances came from artists who pursued other genres.
RELATED: THE 9 ARTISTS WHO WON “THE VOICE” AS MEMBERS OF TEAM BLAKE
In this list, we’ve gathered 21 of the all-time best country covers in Voice history, listed in no particular order. Join us in recalling and revisiting these outstanding performances. Unfortunately, some of the original videos are no longer online, so we only have the audio clips to share of some performances.
Addison Agen – “Angel From Montgomery”
Then 16-year-old Addision Agen was a standout star on Season 13 of The Voice. She started off on Team Miley, before being stolen by Adam Levine during the battles.
She advanced through the knockouts and made it to the playoffs. That’s when she performed John Prine’s iconic song “Angel from Montgomery.” She earned a standing ovation from the crowd when she finished.
Agen ended up placing second that season behind Team Blake’s Chloe Kohanski.
Craig Wayne Boyd – “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin'”
Craig Wayne Boyd made quite the impression when he auditioned for Season 7 of The Voice. He covered “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin'” by Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart.
Pharrell Williams and Blake Shelton turned their chairs for Boyd’s pure country performance. He ended up choosing Shelton as his coach.
Boyd later lost his battle, and Gwen Stefani claimed him for her team. Then he lost his knockout, and Shelton took him back.
Shelton coached Boyd all the way to the finale, and he ended up winning Season 7. It all started with that awesome audition performance!
Casi Joy – “Blue”
Then 26-year-old Casi Joy’s stunning rendition of LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue” earned a four-chair turn during Season 12. She kept things country, and picked Blake Shelton to be her coach.
Joy won her battle and knockout, but was shockingly eliminated in the first week of live shows. Yet her audition performance still stands out as one of the best country covers on the show.
Emily Ann Roberts – “She’s Got You”
Team Blake’s Emily Ann Roberts was only 17 years old when she competed on Season 9 of The Voice. But she had a love for traditional and classic country, and covered songs by the likes of Dolly Parton and Lee Ann Womack.
One of Roberts’ greatest performances came when she covered Patsy Cline’s “She’s Got You” during Week 4 of the competition. Clearly the viewers thought so too, because they voted her into the semifinals and eventually the finale. She ended up placing in second behind Team Adam’s Jordan Smith.
Barrett Baber – “I’d Love To Lay You Down”
Roberts’ teammate Barrett Baber was also a standout country performer on Season 9 of The Voice. He delivered a sultry cover of Conway Twitty’s “I’d Love to Lay You Down” during Week 4, and left a lasting impression on viewers.
Like Roberts, fans voted Baber through to the finale. He ended up placing in third that season!
Bryce Leatherwood – “Goodbye Time”
Bryce Leatherwood took a huge risk when he auditioned for Season 22 of The Voice. He chose to cover “Goodbye Time” by Conway Twitty, which Voice coach Blake Shelton later covered in 2005.
But Shelton clearly liked what he heard, because he turned his chair for Leatherwood’s performance. So did Gwen Stefani and John Legend.
Of course, Leatherwood picked Shelton to be his coach. He went all the way to the finale, and eventually won the season.
Grace West – “Maybe It Was Memphis”
One of the newest performances on this list comes from Grace West of Season 23. Her blind audition performance of Pam Tillis’ “Maybe It Was Memphis” captivated Blake Shelton and then-new coach Niall Horan.
West took the country route and picked Shelton to be her coach. Viewers voted her through week after week, and she was eventually named the runner-up of the season behind Team Niall’s Gina Miles.
Cassadee Pope – “Over You”
Cassadee Pope delivered what is arguably one of the most emotional performances in Voice history. She covered Miranda Lambert’s “Over You” during week three of Season 3, and gave everyone goosebumps when she did.
Her performance was extra impactful, because her coach, Blake Shelton, co-wrote “Over You” as a tribute to his late brother, Richie.
Pope continued to bring stunning performances to The Voice each week. She was eventually crowned the winner of the season.
Danielle Bradbery – “Jesus Take The Wheel”
It’s hard to believe Team Blake’s Danielle Bradbery was only 16 years old when she competed on Season 4 of The Voice. She shared this breathtaking cover of Carrie Underwood‘s “Jesus, Take the Wheel” during the knockouts.
Bradbery won her knockout round, and eventually, the entire season too!
Sundance Head – “Blue Ain’t Your Color”
Sundance Head was known for bringing a rock and roll flair to the country songs he covered on Season 11 of The Voice. He brought that personal touch to his cover of Keith Urban’s “Blue Ain’t Your Color” during the first week of live playoffs.
Fans loved the performance, and voted Head through to the next round…and every round after that. He eventually won the season!
Jake Hoot – “That Ain’t My Truck”
Team Kelly’s Jake Hoot kept things country throughout his run on Season 17 of The Voice. One of his standout performances was when he covered Rhett Akins’ “That Ain’t My Truck” as a member of the Top 10.
Hoot’s version of the song was the most-streamed Voice recording on Apple Music that week. He continued to advance in the competition, and was later crowned the winner of the season.
Jake Worthington – “Don’t Close Your Eyes”
Season 6’s Jake Worthington got three coaches to turn their chairs for his heartfelt cover of Keith Whitley’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” To no surprise, he chose to join Team Blake. It was clearly the perfect team for a country boy like him!
Worthington placed in second that season, behind Team Usher’s Josh Kaufman.
Todd Tilghman – “We’ve Got Tonight”
Pastor Todd Tilghman knocked the socks off the Voice coaches with his blind audition performance of “We’ve Got Tonight.” The song was first recorded by Bob Seger, but Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton later covered it as a country duet.
Tilghman’s rendition got all four Voice coaches to turn their chairs. He decided to join Team Blake. Tilghman eventually won the season, and became the oldest winner in the show’s history at the age of 42.
Paris Winningham – “Amazed”
Paris Winningham had quite the journey on Season 21 of The Voice. He joined John Legend’s team after his blind audition. Although he won his battle, he lost his knockout and was stolen by Blake Shelton.
Winningham found his home on Team Blake, and continued to deliver out-of-this-world performances each week. He shared a chill-inducing version of Lonestar’s “Amazed” as a member of the Top 10. That performance helped propel him into the finale, where he came in third place.
Wendy Moten – “I Will Always Love You”
Winningham’s teammate Wendy Moten was also a standout performer on Season 21. The video of her performing Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” has over 800,000 views on YouTube…if that tells you anything!
Moten performed “I Will Always Love You” in Whitney Houston’s style. Anyone familiar with the song knows that is not an easy rendition to cover, but Moten did so beautifully. She was the runner-up of the season behind Girl Named Tom of Team Kelly.
Alisan Porter – “Blue Bayou”
Alisan Porter’s stunning blind audition performance of Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou” got all four coaches to turn their chairs during Season 10. She ended up joining Team Christina.
Porter continued to impress viewers with her performances throughout her time on the show. She was eventually crowned the winner of the season.
Ruby Leigh – “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart”
16-year-old Ruby Leigh made quite the impression when she performed Patsy Montana’s “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” during the blind auditions for Season 24. She got all four coaches to turn their chairs!
A country girl like her knew that she belonged with a country coach…so she joined Team Reba.
Austin Montgomery & Tanner Fussell – “Folsom Prison Blues”
Let’s close this list out with a few country battles!
Austin Montgomery and Tanner Fussell didn’t make things easy for their coach Blake Shelton during the battles for Season 22. Their fiery rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” left him stumped over who he should choose as the winner.
He eventually named Montgomery as the winner, and Fussell was sent home. Montgomery was eliminated the following week after losing his knockout against Brayden Lape.
Sid Kingsley & Bailey Rae – “Tennessee Whiskey”
Bailey Rae and Sid Kingsley of Team Legend competed against each other during the Season 19 battles. They covered “Tennessee Whiskey,” and both wowed the coaches with their performances.
Legend made a tough call, and chose Rae as the winner of the battle. Thankfully, Kelly Clarkson jumped in to steal Kingsley after being “floored” by his performance. He was later stolen by Blake Shelton in the knockouts.
Kingsley was eliminated during the first week of live shows, while Rae was eliminated the week after that.
Craig Wayne Boyd & James David Carter – “Wave On Wave”
Season 7’s Craig Wayne Boyd and James David Carter delivered an unforgettable battle performance when they covered Pat Green’s “Wave on Wave.”
As you know from earlier, Blake Shelton chose Carter as the winner of the battle. Boyd was thankfully stolen by Gwen Stefani, and remained on the show.
Shelton stole Boyd back after the knockouts, and Boyd went on to win the season. Carter was eliminated during the first week of live playoffs.
Barrett Baber & Dustin Christensen – “Walking In Memphis”
Season 9’s Barrett Baber and Dustin Christensen left their coach Blake Shelton with a tough choice to make after they covered “Walking In Memphis.” The song was originally by Marc Cohn, but Lonestar turned the tune into a Top 10 country hit in 2003.
As mentioned previously, Shelton picked Baber as the winner of the battle. But Christensen also did an amazing job!
Which one of the performances in this list is your favorite? Head below to watch some other standout country covers from past seasons of The Voice around the world.
