“Do they know that chaps are gay?”
Chappell Roan playfully posed that question to the host of Apple Music’s “Today’s Country” radio show, Kelleigh Bannen. Following the release of her latest single, “The Giver,” which she describes as a “lesbian country” song, Roan opened up about the genre’s “camp”-iness and how making the song helped the self-proclaimed “Midwest Princess” feel close to home. Driven by flamboyant fiddles and clever double entendres, she leaves a mark on the genre with her sapphic pop touch.
And to answer Roan’s initial “chaps” question, there are some country singers, both historical and contemporary, who most definitely recognize the genre’s queer possibilities. Though Roan’s guerrilla marketing style (where she’s dressed as a plumber, dentist, construction worker, etc.) and Tik Tok domination seem rebellious for the outspoken overnight sensation, queer country music has continually been making waves since the 1930s.
There were early, debatably gay songs like the Sweet Violet Boys’ “I Love My Fruit” (1939) and Ewan Hail’s “Lavender Cowboy” (1927). Wilma Burgess, in the 1960s, was regarded as one of the first “out” country singers. Burgess was rumored to be out within the industry but not to the public. In 1973, Lavender Country created a space for LGBTQ+ stories in the genre with the first gay country album. Led by Patrick Haggerty, the Seattle band brought the experiences of LGBTQ+ people to the sounds of steel guitars and fiddles on songs like “Back in the Closet Again” and “Cryin’ These C–sucking Tears” on their self-titled record.
Even within the past decade, more and more country music (or country-adjacent sounds) by queer artists have taken over mainstream music. Among them are the alternative sounds of fringe-masked Orville Peck, Trixie Mattel’s Americana twang and even Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” which was No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for a record-breaking 19 weeks. T.J. Osborne, a member of the soulful country-singing Brothers Osborne, also came out in 2021 — making him one of the few openly gay artists signed to a major label.
If you liked the country-pop twang of Roan’s “The Giver,” here are a few country/Americana/folk artists who bring a sapphic feel to their Western sounds.
“Drag Queens in Limousines,” Mary Gauthier
As something of a folk predecessor to Roan’s hit “Pink Pony Club,” Mary Gauthier tells her own coming-of-age story about being queer from the South. In the guitar-powered slow burn, she recounts hating high school and escaping to the city where she encountered “Drag queens in limousines / Nuns in blue jeans / Dreamers with big dreams.” Released in 1999, the track is one of Gauthier’s many narrative-driven ballads. Giving listeners a vulnerable look into her lived experience, the 63-year-old was the first openly gay artist to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.
“Don’t Touch Me,” Wilma Burgess
Nashville sensation Wilma Burgess rose to fame during the era of countrypolitan, a subgenre that references the pop crossover for country in the 1960s and ’70s. At Burgess’ height of popularity, country music had transitioned from the rambunctious sounds of a honky-tonk to being more influenced by rhythm and blues. On “Don’t Touch Me,” the teary ballad singer gives her lover a warning about falling in love over a dreamy composition. Though she wasn’t out to her fans or the public during her career, a majority of her songs aren’t gender-specific — leaving room for listeners to interpret themselves. In the late 1980s, she also opened Nashville’s first “women’s only” bar, the Hitchin’ Post.
“Constant Craving,” k.d. lang
Canadian singer-songwriter k.d. lang released “Constant Craving” as a single in 1992 — the same year she had come out as gay in the Advocate magazine. With her folky, upbeat acoustics, the ’90s androgynous heartthrob captured the universal feelings of longing and desire. After the release of a steamy Vanity Fair cover shoot with Cindy Crawford, the hit song went on to win a Grammy for female pop vocal performance in 1993. This is an essential, cowpunk-y anthem for sapphic yearning.
“I Will Not Go Down,” Amythyst Kiah featuring Billy Strings
From her third album, “Still + Bright,” Amythyst Kiah’s “I Will Not Go Down” takes listeners on a fantastical hero’s journey. Alongside the bluegrass singer-guitarist Billy Strings, Kiah hammers in a message of resilience over a fast-paced, foot-stomping rhythm. She attended the bluegrass program at East Tennessee State University, where she avoided discussing her sexuality with peers out of fear and dedicated herself to the craft. In her music today, the Grammy-nominated singer uses her new-age Americana twang to explore her spirituality.
“Sugar in the Tank,” Julien Baker and Torres
In their upcoming joint album, “Send a Prayer My Way,” Boygenius’ Julien Baker and indie singer Torres are figuring out how their sound can exist within a country-ish realm. Their lead single, “Sugar in the Tank,” is a love-ridden indie American track — pushed by a steel pedal guitar. Born in Tennessee and Georgia, respectively, these alternative rockers are setting out to join in the sounds that raised them into the musicians they are today.
“If She Ever Leaves Me,” the Highwomen
Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires come together as the supergroup the Highwomen. “If She Ever Leaves Me,” sung by Carlile, tells the story of what happens when a cowboy eyes her partner in a bar. Singing the chorus “If she ever leaves me / It won’t be for you,” the group tells a typical country narrative but from a lesbian perspective. As an electric guitar riffs in the background and Carlile belts the evolved bridge, the Highwomen join forces, bringing each of their perspectives and experiences to create an inclusive kind of country music.
“Country Radio,” Indigo Girls
Folk-rock duo Indigo Girls reminisce on their feelings listening to country radio as “gay kid[s] in a small town.” In a traditional country storytelling format, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers bend gender roles and yearn for representation on their local country radio station, singing, “I wanna be that boy, I wanna be that girl / I wanna know what it’s like to fall in love like.” “Country Radio” provides a sense of heartsick nostalgia over a hopeful chorus of stringed instruments. For nearly 40 years, the “Closer to Fine” singers have been mainstays in the lesbian folk scene; they have 15 full-length albums.
“Broken Horses,” Brandi Carlile
In 2007, Carlile released her sophomore album, “The Story,” and she hasn’t looked back. Over the last 20 years, the 43-year-old singer has earned 11 Grammys and has become a household name in modern folk rock. “Broken Horses” shares a title with her memoir and confronts her upbringing and the marginalization she’s faced throughout her life. The song off her latest studio album, “In These Silent Days,” is a bluesy outcry that exemplifies her knack for reflective songwriting.
