Iconic Country Family Bands
This music is at its best when it's a family affair.
The influence of family is tightly woven into the fabric of country. For over a century, the genre has fostered a rich tradition of family bands, songs about family, and has been built around the impressive legacies of multi-generational country music families like the Williamses, the Guthries, the Carters, and many more.
But while talking about family and country can sound like a dog whistle for “conservative values,” the familial nature of country music far predates modern attempts to paint the genre into a corner of political specificity and exclusion.
Stemming from the older traditions of American folk, blues, old-time and other roots musics, country emerged from a world that understood song as a collaborative affair shared in community, often between parents and children, siblings, cousins, and even grandparents and grandchildren. Images of families singing together on front porches or gathering around a central piano dot the visual history of American traditional culture, and the “family band” first staked its claim in pop music over a hundred years ago.
Drawing from the far corners of American roots, country, bluegrass, folk, and gospel, our roundup of iconic country family bands offers a broad look at the parents, children, siblings, and spouses who have carried (and continue to carry) the torch of familial country music.
Arguably the most well-known family band in country music history, the Carter Family started recording their lively renditions of traditional American folk songs in 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee. Within three years, they had sold hundreds of thousands of records in the U.S., and they continued to record as a family well into the 1950s. Of course, the Carter Family is also known for giving rise to June Carter, who went on to marry, perform, and record extensively with her husband Johnny Cash.
The Carter Family has had a profound influence on American bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, and folk music for a century, showing just how unbreakable their legacy truly is.
A father-and-daughter duo from St. Louis, Missouri, The Kendalls are Royce Kendall and Jeannie Kendall, who released 16 albums throughout the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. In 1978, they won the GRAMMY Award for Best Country Vocal by a Duo or Group for their breakthrough hit, “Heaven’s Just a Sin Away.”
The Kendalls combined classic country with pop, and their bright sound and close harmonies cemented their place in the golden age of modern country music. Since her father’s death in 1998, Jeannie Kendall has gone on to pursue a solo career, recording with the likes of Alison Krauss and Alan Jackson.
Flash forward to 2024, brothers John and TJ Osborne have gained traction in the contemporary country music scene over the past decade, enjoying top spots on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and working with industry favorites like Lee Ann Womack and Ashley McBryde. Their sound combines Southern rock with outlaw country, and TJ’s rich voice is the perfect compliment to his brother’s refined and soulful lead guitar style.
Anyone with 18 minutes to spare should check out their 2021 NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert, which features the brothers alongside a full band in an especially raucous and impressive performance. Both as musical partners and siblings, TJ and John Osborne clearly have a heartfelt bond. Despite fears and uncertainties, TJ came out as gay in 2021, making him one of the first openly gay country musicians signed to a major label.
Active for five decades and counting, the Whites are one of the most prolific family bands of country (or of any genre, for that matter). They’ve won CMA Awards and GRAMMY Awards, contributed to the famed O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, and in 2008, they were inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Willie Nelson, Jim Reeves, and Ray Price.
The Whites consist of sisters Cheryl and Sharon and their father Buck, combining country, Western, bluegrass, and gospel into their signature sound. Sharon White is married to famed bluegrass and country musician Ricky Skaggs, who has often collaborated with the family, including on the most recent White family album released in 2014.
Far better known as a solo artist, Dolly Parton has recorded and performed alongside her sisters Stella, Cassie, Freida, and Rachel, and occasionally even with her parents, Robert Lee and Avie Lee, since the earlier decades of her career. To this day, Dolly talks as often as she can about the influence her family and childhood have had on her life and it’s clear from listening to her harmonize with her family just how close their bond is. Complete with a couple of charming flubs, this video of Dolly and her sisters performing “Break My Mind” on live television in 1970 is virtually impossible to watch without smiling.
Now in 2024, Dolly has returned to collaborating with her folks on a new album set for release November 15 entitled, Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables. Produced by Dolly’s cousin Richie Owens, the project features Dolly with various members of her immediate & extended family, spanning generations.
Another modern family band, the Castellows are sisters Eleanor, Lily, and Powell Balkcom, originally from Georgia and currently based in Nashville. Blending country folk with pop country, the Castellows describe themselves as a “neo-traditional country music trio” rooted in family tradition. The youngest family on this list, the Castellows first started gaining attention just two years ago, after sharing videos of cover songs on social media. Their rise to fame has been impressively quick, with 2024 bringing them their first CMT Music Award nomination for Digital-First Performance of the Year.
As quintessential as they come, Johnny and June Carter Cash are perhaps country music’s favorite husband-and-wife duo. June Carter Cash is, of course, the daughter of Maybelle and Ezra Carter of the original Carter Family. She met Johnny at the Grand Ole Opry, of all places, in 1956. From 1967 to 2000, the couple recorded four albums of duets and they performed extensively together until their deaths, just months apart, in 2003. In this video, they sing their hit “Jackson” on the Ralph Emery Show in 1967. The love, joy, and connection they shared is palpable.
Since their inception over 30 years ago, sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer have been mainstays in modern country as the Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks). In 1992, they joined forces with vocalist Natalie Maines, going on to win 13 GRAMMY Awards and sell over 30 million records worldwide. To date, they are the best-selling country band of all time by record sales, despite facing immense backlash in the early 2000s after boldly speaking out against President George W. Bush and the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
The Chicks have a distinctly pop country string band sound that helped shape the genre from early on; their approach remains entirely unique. Their style blends folk, bluegrass, and country influences with pop, focusing on storytelling, personal experiences, and their tight three-part harmonies, which lend an unmistakable quality to their sound. In this live performance of “Cowboy, Take Me Away,” the trio shines, yet again demonstrating they are one of the most important country groups (and sister bands) of all time.
Lesser known by name yet wildly prolific, the Cox Family have been recording and performing their blend of country, bluegrass, and gospel since the late ‘80s. They’ve collaborated extensively with the legendary Alison Kraus, winning GRAMMY Awards for both I Know Who Holds Tomorrow (1995) and the acclaimed O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack in 2000.
Their most recent album, Gone Like the Cotton, reached number one on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart after its release in 2015. Hailing from Louisiana, the Cox Family were originally centered around the tight, twangy harmonies of sisters Evelyn, Lynn, and Suzanne, alongside their brother Sidney on banjo, Dobro, and guitar and their father Willard on fiddle. Today, the Cox Family legacy lives on with Sidney as band leader alongside his three daughters Anna, Sara, and Lydia. The family continues to tour, perform, and record throughout the American southeast and beyond.
Existing more on the fringes of indie folk, the Chapin Sisters aren’t your typical family country band. Sisters Abigail and Lily are the daughters of musician and songwriter Tom Chapin, the granddaughters of jazz drummer Jim Chapin, and the nieces of GRAMMY Award-winning folk singer-songwriter and activist Harry Chapin. Together, they play a range of country, folk, pop, and indie, and they’ve collaborated with prominent indie-pop acts like Cass McCombs and She & Him (M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel). In this video for Paste Magazine, the Chapin Sisters share their original song “Angeleno,” showcasing their country folk influences and bold, captivating harmonies.
Jumping back a few generations, brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin played together as the Louvin Brothers throughout the ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s. Carried by guitar, mandolin, and their impressively intricate vocal harmonies, the Louvin Brothers’ music was lively, playful, and captivating, drawing influence from traditional Southern gospel and shape note singing. Throughout their career, the brothers collaborated with Chet Atkins, made it onto the country charts a dozen times, and regularly performed at the Grand Ole Opry. In 2001, they were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Their songs have been covered, referenced, and reimagined by the likes of Emmylous Harris, Hank Williams III, and The Byrds.
Mother-and-daughter duo Naomi and Wynona Judd are an undeniably iconic family band, even though they were only active for about eight years. Often regarded as one of the most successful acts in country music history, the Judds released six albums, won five GRAMMY Awards, and received nine CMA Awards between 1983 and 1991. They also hit number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart an impressive 14 times in their brief run. Unfortunately, the duo disbanded after Naomi started experiencing serious health issues, but they continued to perform for various reunion shows and tours until Naomi’s tragic death in 2022. The day after her passing, the Judds were formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
If you’re in the mood for even more iconic country family bands, check out the full playlist on Spotify, featuring over three hours of wholesome familial country, bluegrass, and roots music.
Lead Image: The Carter Family (1965) by Don Hunstein.
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Cox Family!!