Gay Male Country Music Singers You Need to Know

Here are a few of our favorite gay male country music singers that you need to check out! You won’t be disappointed.

Outlaw Country

Outlaw country is a subgenre of country music, most popular in the 1970s and 1980s, that takes its roots from earlier subgenres like honky tonk and rockabilly and fuse them with the attitude of rock and roll. The sound is often characterized by a twangy electric guitar, Navajo drums, fiddles, andsteel guitars. Gay male country music singers have been a part of the genre since its inception. Here are some of the most famous.

Willie Nelson

Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Willie Nelson is a musical legend. The country icon has been making hit records for over six decades and shows no signs of slowing down.

Nelson came out as bisexual in a 1982 interview with Playboy, saying “I couldn’t be what somebody wanted me to be, so I decided to be myself.” He has since been an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community, even starring in a music video for the AIDS-related charity song “We Are the World.”

Nelson isn’t the only gay country star making a name for himself these days. Other out and proud singers include Chely Wright, Steve Grand, and Brandy Clark.

Waylon Jennings

Waylon Jennings was an American singer who performed in the outlaw country genre. He was born in 1937 in Littlefield, Texas, and began his musical career in the 1950s as a member of The Waylors. Jennings rose to prominence in the 1970s with a string of hit songs, including “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love),” “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” and “I Ain’t Living Long Like This.” He also collaborated with Willie Nelson on the album Waylon & Willie, which was released in 1978. Jennings died in 2002 at the age of 64.

David Allan Coe

An outlaw is defined as “a person who flouts or disregards the law.” And while some people might think that an outlaw is a criminal, in country music, an outlaw is a rebel. An outlaw country singer is someone who doesn’t fit the mold of what Nashville considers to be “country.” These singers are often considered to be too edgy, too raw, and too real for the polished world of country music.

Outlaw country singer David Allan Coe was born in Akron, Ohio in 1939. Coe grew up in a broken home and was shuttled between foster homes and reform schools. He turned to music as an escape and by the time he was in his early twenties, he was playing clubs and bars around the South. In 1968, Coe released his debut album, Penitentiary Blues. The album was a collection of songs about life in prison and it caught the attention of Waylon Jennings.

Jennings invited Coe to play on his album Honky Tonk Heroes and the two became friends. Coe wrote songs for Jennings and other Outlaw Country singers like Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr. In 1978, Coe released his most popular album, Nothing Sacred. The album caused controversy with its song “Nigger Fucker,” which many radio stations refused to play. But despite the controversy, Nothing Sacred remains one of Coe’s most loved albums.

Coe continued to release albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s but he never achieved the same level of success as he did with Nothing Sacred. In recent years, Coe has been more known for his racist and misogynistic lyrics than his music. But despite his offensive lyrics, Coe is still considered to be one of the key figures in Outlaw Country music.

Contemporary Country

In recent years, the world of country music has seen a boom in gay and bisexual male singers. These artists are not only changing the face of country music, but they’re also becoming some of the genre’s biggest stars. Here are just a few of the gay male country singers you need to know.

Keith Urban

Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian singer, songwriter and record producer well known for his work in country music. In 1991, he released a self-titled debut album and charted four singles in Australia before moving to the United States the following year. He found work as a session guitarist before starting a solo career in 1999 with the release of a self-titled album. The album produced three more number one singles and became his highest-selling album. Nevertheless, Urban was certified Platinum in the US, Multi-Platinum in Australia and Canada, and Gold in New Zealand.

Billy Gilman

Billy Gilman is a country music singer who first gained national attention as a youngchild prodigy in 2000. After releasing several successful albums, Gilman ventured into pop music in 2006 before returning to his country roots in 2016. He has since released two more albums and continues to tour throughout the United States.

Gilman was born in 1988 in Rhode Island and began singing at a young age. When he was just eleven years old, he competed on the television show The voice, where he impressed the judges with his mature vocal performance. This led to him signing a record deal with Epic Records, and he released his debut album One Voice in 2000. The album went platinum and Gilman became a household name.

In 2006, Gilman released his second album Billy Gilman, which ventured into pop territory. The album was not as successful as his debut and led to Gilman taking a break from music for several years. In 2016, he made his return to country music with the release of the album Things That We Drink To. The album received positive reviews and Gilman has since been nominated for several awards, including a Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance.

Gilman continues to tour throughout the United States and is beloved by fans old and new. He is one of the few openly gay country music singers and is an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights.

Ty Herndon

Herndon came out publicly in 2014, becoming one of the first major country music stars to do so. He’d previously been married to a woman and has two children. Herndon hit the country music scene in 1995 with his debut album What Mattered Most, which included the No. 1 single “Living in a Moment.” He followed that up with 1997’s Big Time and 1999’s Steam, which included the hits “No Mercy” and “It Must Be Love.” In 2006, Herndon took a break from recording to deal with personal issues, but he returned to the studio in 2008 with Right About Now.

Honky Tonk

Though it may seem like country music is a genre primarily for straight, cisgender men, there are in fact many openly gay male country singers. Some subgenres of country music, like honky tonk, are particularly welcoming to queer artists. Here are four gay male country singers you need to know.

Dwight Yoakam

Dwight Yoakam is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released fourteen studio albums and has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. Yoakam’s musical style is often credited as being a key influence on the neo-traditionalist country movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s. His songs have been recorded by other artists including George Strait, Patty Loveless, and Lisa Marie Presley.

Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley is a country music singer, songwriter and guitarist from West Virginia. He has released 11 studio albums and has won numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards and 14 Country Music Association Awards. Paisley is known for his musical skills, as well as his humor and wit. He has written songs about both his personal life and current events, often with a humorous bent.

Vince Gill

Vince Gill is one of the most successful country music singers of all time. He has won 20 Grammy Awards, more than any other male country music singer. He is also a successful songwriter, having written hits for himself and other artists. Gill was born in Oklahoma in 1957 and began playing guitar at an early age. He rose to prominence in the 1980s, thanks to his success as a member of the country-rock band Pure Prairie League. In the 1990s, he embarked on a highly successful solo career, releasing a string of hit albums and singles. He has continued to record and tour throughout the 2000s and 2010s. In addition to his musical accomplishments, Gill is also known for his philanthropy; he has raised millions of dollars for various charities through his annual concert series, The Vince Gill Charity Classic.