15 Heartfelt Country Songs About Tennessee

As the home of country music's capital of Nashville, the state of Tennessee has always had a special place in the hearts of country's biggest stars.

That, coupled with the fact that the state itself is absolutely gorgeous, it's no surprise that the Volunteer State comes up in quite a few country songs.

A Little About the State of Tennessee

After two failed attempts, the state of Tennessee was the 16th state admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796 by President George Washington. In addition to being the heart of country music, Nashville is also the state's capital.

Why Is Tennessee Called the Volunteer State?

Tennessee became known as the Volunteer State thanks to its enthusiastic military involvement. Men were quick to join the military during the War of 1812, and the idea of the state being filled with volunteers was born.

In the Mexican American War of 1848, once again the men showed up in droves. When the call went out asking for 2,600 volunteers to enlist, a reported 30,000 men in Tennessee raised their hands.

Country Artists Born in Tennessee

There are several country artists who were born in Tennessee: Dolly Parton, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney and Jelly Roll are just a few on the Volunteer State roster. For those who were born there, it's easy to write a song about the home that made them who they are.

However, there has been many Tennessee transplants over the years who have fallen in love with it and made the state their home.

Country Songs About Tennessee

To put this list together, we opted to focus on songs that are specifically about the state of Tennessee, or those that have becomes prominent songs about aspects of Tennessee. For example, "Tennessee Whiskey" is not about the state, per se, but the song's popularity has only grown over the years, and it's got the song's name in the title, so we included it.

We also stayed away from songs just about Nashville. We thought it would be better to keep Music City in its own lane, for now.