The essential outlaw country playlist

The title track of Merle Haggard's 1970 live album, "The Fightin' Side of Me" is a deeply patriotic tune that was a product of the decade's protests of the war in Vietnam. It was also a #1 hit, one that exemplifies the outlaw ethos.  

There's nothing more outlaw than a song that involves a thieving highwayman, an intergalactic space captain, and a construction worker. Recorded by the Highwaymen, a supergroup comprised of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson, this outlaw classic shot to #1 in 1985. 

This 1975 Waylon Jennings classic takes direct aim at the glitz and glamour — and rhinestone suits — of the "countrypolitan" era. It's also a tribute to country legend Hank Williams, and a pointed rebuke of music industry executives who have a tendency to forget country music's roots. 

A manifesto of his own musical sound, an homage to his roots, and an indictment of Nashville's shift toward a more pop-influenced sound, "Family Tradition" was an instant outlaw classic after its release in 1979. 

Johnny Cash bucked the musical — and political — establishment with his 1971 protest manifesto "Man In Black," an anthem to the poor and oppressed. "I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town," Cash sings. "I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime, but is there because he's a victim of the times." 

One of the greatest story songs in country music history, "Pancho and Lefty" tells the story of two actual outlaws. Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard recorded perhaps the most famous version of the song in 1983. 

At the ripe age of 19, Tanya Tucker's distinctive voice made "Texas When I Die" a hit in 1978, especially for the millions of Texans who feel the exact same way about their fate in the afterlife. "When I die, I may not go to heaven," Tucker sings on this outlaw anthem. "I don't know if they let cowboys in. But if they don't, just let me go to Texas, 'cause Texas is as close as I've been." 

Reflective of his own 3-year stint in the Folsom State Penitentiary for robbery, Merle Haggard wrote an anthem for all of us who haven't lived up to the expectations of our parents — for better or for worse — in 1968. 

Written by Kris Kristofferson and recorded by country greats Ray Stevens and Johnny Cash, "Sunday Morning Coming Down" is the anthem of a true outlaw. After all the rabble-rousing is done, there are still those Sunday mornings when you've got to down a beer for breakfast and fumble for your first clean shirt. 

Is there anything more outlaw than moonshining, a centuries-old practice that remains illegal in the United States? No way. This rollicking tune about making booze and running from the law tells one hell of a story, one that remains a favorite among Steve Earle fans and moonshine enthusiasts alike. 

Even though it wasn't a massive commercial success, Billy Joe Shaver's 1973 classic "I Been To Georgia On a Fast Train" is a seminal outlaw country track. Up until his death in 2020, Shaver remained a fixture of the outlaw music scene and is counted as an inspiration by countless contemporary artists. 

Inspired by an actual raid of his recording studio, Waylon Jennings pokes fun at both the phrase "outlaw country" and the law in this track released in 1978. It's probably not a coincidence that the song appears on an album titled "I've Always Been Crazy." 

Even though Johnny Cash never "shot a man in Reno just to watch him die," he was a lifelong advocate for incarcerated people and helped share the stories of those impacted by mass incarceration throughout his career. "Folsom Prison Blues" was an instant hit for Cash, peaking at #1 after its release in 1955 on the artist's debut album. 

An ode to letting the whiskey wash away all your problems, Willie Nelson's "Whiskey River" is arguably his most signature tune, co-written by Johnny Bush, especially for fans of the Texas-born artist's live shows. 

Outlaw country may be a male-dominated genre, but Jessi Colter definitely held her own. In 1975, her heart-wrenching ballad "I'm Not Lisa" topped the charts and earned Colter a slew of award nominations. 

Smoking, stealing, and boozing? It's no wonder that Johnny Paycheck's mother wasn't exactly happy with him. This tune may not be exactly autobiographical, but it still exemplifies the ethos that permeated outlaw country in the 1970s. 

In a time when country boys didn't talk much about wearing long hair or their desire to "get stoned in the morning, and drunk in the afternoon," Charlie Daniels was proud to be a "Long Haired Country Boy." 

Written by Texan Gary P. Nunn while traveling in London and recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker, "London Homesick Blues" is the kind of song that anyone who's ever felt out of place will love.