100 Greatest Americana Songs

Record album covers for The Blasters and Steve Earle
Background: Americana is a subset of American roots music, best defined as "classic American music" ranging in style from & including elements of folk, country blues, bluegrass, alternative country, rockabilly, neo traditional & roots rock.

Criteria: These songs were chosen for best identifying, inspiring & encapsulating the heart of tradition & the American experience. As with all lists, this is a subjective list and makes no claim of an official nature.
Last Updated: 2013-05-30
Greatest Americana Songs
  1. American Music - The Blasters
  2. Tecumseh Valley - Townes Van Zandt
  3. Honky Tonk Masqueade - Joe Ely
  4. City of New Orleans - Steve Goodman
  5. Boulder To Birmingham - Emmylou Harris
  6. Taxes On The Farmer, Feeds Us All - Ry Cooder
  7. Tear Stained Eye - Son Volt
  8. Hello In There - John Prine
  9. Copperhead Road - Steve Earle
10. Choctaw Bingo - James McMurtry
11. Desperado's Waiting For The Train - Guy Clark
12. California Bloodlines - John Stewart
13. King of California - Dave Alvin
14. Car Wheels On a Gravel Road - Lucinda Williams
15. No Depression - Uncle Tupelo
16. Sin City - The Flying Burrito Brothers
17. Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight - Rodney Crowell
18. Memphis In The Meantime - John Hiatt
19. Purgatory Road - Ray Wylie Hubbard
20. Boomer's Story - Ry Cooder
21. Rio Grande - Dave Alvin
22. Christmas In Washington - Steve Earle
23. Mr Bojangles - Jerry Jeff Walker
24. L.A. Freeway - Guy Clark
25. Common Man - The Blasters
26. F.D.R. In Trinidad - Ry Cooder
27. Long White Cadillac - The Blasters
28. Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues - Arlo Guthrie
29. New Madrid - Uncle Tupelo
30. We Can't Make It Here - James McMurtry
31. From A Kitchen Table - Dave Alvin
32. Eats Away The Night - Butch Hancock
33. Cooler-N-Hell - Ray Wylie Hubbard
34. The Dark - Guy Clark
35. Highway Kind - Townes Van Zandt
36. Green Blanket - Peter Case
37. The Last of The True Believers - Nanci Griffith
38. Paradise Etc - Peter Case
39. Me and Billy The Kid - Joe Ely
40. Train Leaves Here This Morning - Dilliard and Clark
41. Sundown - Rank and File
42. Brass Buttons - Gram Parsons
43. Someday - Steve Earle
44. Nine Volt Heart - Dave Alvin
45. Boxcars - Joe Ely
46. Billy The Kid - Ry Cooder
47. Concrete and Barbed Wire - Lucinda Williams
48. Musta Notta Gotta Lotta - Joe Ely
49. God's Own Jukebox - Jesse Winchester
50. Tennessee Plates - John Hiatt
51. Pancho and Lefty - Townes Van Zandt
52. Passenger Side - Wilco
53. I Am The Ride - Chris Smither
54. Windfall - Son Volt
55. Dust of The Chase - Ray Wylie Hubbard
56. Whiskey Bottle - Uncle Tupelo
57. The Pugilist at 59 - Tom Russell
58. Jericho Road - Steve Earle
59. Drive South - John Hiatt
60. Take Me With You (When You Go) - The Jayhawks
61. Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown - Jimmie Dale Gilmore
62. Presidential Rag - Arlo Guthrie
63. Spell of Wheels - Peter Case
64. Over Yonder (Jonathan's Song) - Steve Earle
65. Many A Long & Lonesome Highway - Rodney Crowell
66. Trudy and Dave - John Hiatt
67. Link of Chain - Chris Smither
68. Making Pies - Patty Griffin
69. Turn Your Radio On - John Hartford
70. Highway 17 - Rodney Crowell
71. If I Had a Boat - Lyle Lovett
72. Blackjack David - Dave Alvin
73. Atmosphere - Son Volt
74. Lost In The Ozone - Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen
75. Dallas - The Flatlanders
76. 6 String Belief - Son Volt
77. Darkest Hour - Arlo Guthrie
78. Return of The Grievous Angel - Gram Parsons
79. Red Rose - The Blasters
80. The Great Comprimise - John Prine
81. The Brand New Tennessee Waltz - Jesse Winchester
82. The Beauty Way - Ray Wylie Hubbard
83. Gold - John Stewart
84. Some Humans Ain't Human - John Prine
85. Drive In Movies & Dashboard Lights - Nanci Griffith
86. Braden River - Chris Smither
87. Holiday - James McMurtry
88. In My Own Mind - Lyle Lovett
89. Kerosene Hat - Cracker
90. Roving Gambler - Peter Case
91. Play Me The Waltz of The Angels - The Derailers
92. Dancing With The Women at The Bar - Whiskeytown
93. Clay Pigeons - John Prine
94. I've Got My Pride (But I Got To Feed The Kids) - Rodney Crowell
95. Mercenary Song - Steve Earle
96. Movin' The Country - BR5-49
97. What Work Is - Tom Russell
98. Empty Baseball Park - Whiskeytown
99. Photograph - Charlie Robison
100. Screw You, We're From Texas - Ray Wylie Hubbard

101. Baby Likes To Rock It - The Tractors
102. I've Been To Memphis - Lyle Lovett
103. Old America - Tom Russell
104. Slate - Uncle Tupelo
105. Abilene - Dave Alvin
106. The South Coast of Texas - Guy Clark
107. The Streets of Baltimore - Gram Parsons
108. Jimmie Brown The Newsboy - Jimmie Dale Gilmore
109. Andersonville - Dave Alvin
110. U.S. Steel - Tom Russell
111. Crescent City - Lucinda Williams
112. Blue Umbrella - John Prine
113. Junior & The Old African Queen - Grayson Capps
114. Casino Queen - Wilco
115. Ten Degrees - J.D. Crowe & The New South
116. Moses - Patty Griffin
117. Pineola - Lucinda Williams
118. 1000 Dollar Car - The Bottle Rockets
119. Coulda Shoulda Woulda - Peter Case
120. Letter To Laredo - Joe Ely
121. Oh My Sweet Carolina - Ryan Adams
122. Bag of Bones - Guy Clark
123. Grand Central Station March 18, 1978 - Steve Forbert
124. The Kid From Spavinaw - Tom Russell
125. Christmas Morning - Lyle Lovett
126. Burgundy Shoes - Patty Griffin
127. I Got Mine - Ry Cooder
128. Back Into The World - Son Volt
129. Last Train To Amsterdam - Ray Wylie Hubbard
130. Immigrant Eyes - Guy Clark
131. Nothing At All - The Waco Brothers
132. Angelyne - The Jayhawks
133. Trains - Ryan Adams
134. New Orleans Waltz - Grayson Capps
135. I Ain't Long Like This - Rodney Crowell
136. Horseshoe - The North Mississippi Allstars
137. Last Lonely Eagle - New Riders of The Purple Sage
138. Carl Perkins Cadillac - The Drive By Truckers
139. Washboard Lisa - Grayson Capps
140. Water When The Well Is Dry - Buddy Miller
141. Inn Town - Whiskeytown
142. Road of Ruin - The Beat Farmers
143. Tulsa Queen - Emmylou Harris
144. Ben McCulloch - Steve Earle
145. Radio King - Golden Smog
146. Ooh Las Vegas - Gram Parsons
147. Sell A Lot of Beer - The Warren Brothers
148. Laredo Rose - The Texas Tornado's
149. Pocatello - James McMurtry
150. I Must Be High - Wilco
151. Snake Farm - Ray Wylie Hubbard
152. January 23-30 1978 - Steve Forbert
153. Comeback - The Warren Brothers
154. Boats To Build - Guy Clark
155. 1968 - Dave Alvin
156. Riverside - The Beat Farmers
157. Epitaph - Blue Mountain
158. The Beautiful Lie - The Amazing Rhythm Aces
159. Moon Song - Emmylou Harris
160. Cold River - John Hiatt
161. Oh No, Not Another One - Doug Sahm
162. Cold Dog Soup - Guy Clark
163. Lungs - Townes Van Zandt
164. Wild Northland - Kingfish
165. Two More Bottles of Wine - Emmylou Harris
166. Teen Angst - Cracker
167. Southern Baptist Heartbreak - The Warren Brothers
168. Beaujolais - The BoDeans
169. Down The Road - Steve Earle
170. Streets of Sin - Joe Ely
171. The River's Gonna Run - Buddy & Julie Miller
172. A1 On The Jukebox - BR5-49
173. Easy Wind - The Grateful Dead
174. Highway In The Wind - Arlo Guthrie
175. How Can I Miss You, When You Won't Go Away - Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks
176. 16 Days - Whiskeytown
177. Ridin' Out The Storm - Rodney Crowell
178. Hammers and Nails - Radney Foster
179. A Train Robbery - Levon Helm
180. Six Hours Ahead of The Sun - Steve Goodman
181. Seven Days - Cracker
182. Old School - Russell Smith
183. Healing Bones - Jules Shear
184. Rock of Ages - Gillian Welch
185. Thrice All American - Neko Case
186. Farewell Angelina - New Riders of The Purple Sage
187. Christ For President - Billy Bragg & Wilco
188. Long Walking Down To Misery - The Beau Brummels
189. Trust Jesus - Slobberbone
190. Victoria Lee - The Old 97's
191. American Hotel - Tom Russell
192. Dire Wolf - The Grateful Dead
193. Oklahoma Dust - The Notorious Cherry Bombs
194. Jerusalum Tomorrow - David Olney
195. Love Reunited - The Desert Rose Band
196. Bethlehem Steel - Grant Lee Buffalo
197. Moonshine - The North Mississippi Allstars
198. Broken Down Row - The Waco Brothers
199. My Front Pages - Arlo Guthrie
200. Rock This Town - The Stray Cats



Steve Earle - Copperhead Road audio CD cover

Townes Van Zandt - Our Mother The Mountain audio CD cover

Lucinda Williams - Little Honey audio CD cover

Jesse Winchester audio CD cover

Emmylou Harris - All I Intended to Be audio CD cover

Ray Wylie Hubbard - Snake Farm audio CD cover

Tom Russell Anthology - Veterans Day audio CD cover

The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has Landed audio CD cover

Arlo Guthrie - In Times Like These Live audio CD cover

The Jayhawks - Hollywood Town Hall audio CD cover

Great Days - John Prine audio CD cover

Whiskeytown audio CD cover

DigitalDreamDoor playlists on Spotify link button



The Blasters - American Music









More Music Lists