There's a Spotify playlist of country songs waiting to be made for just about any mood or occasion. For example, if you have a big brother or a little brother, some of the best songs about sibling relations happen to be written or sung by country music artists.
Videos by Wide Open Country
This musical roundup for brothers in arms sticks with country acts, so we're skipping past the work of Elton John, Avicii, Alice in Chains, Kodaline, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Dire Straits, James Taylor, Suzanne Vega, Juliana Hatfield, Kanye West and other popular acts with their own brother songs. It also isn't a roundup of songs by actual brothers, be it the Avett Brothers or the Isley Brothers.
Our picks range from some of George Jones' classic analogies about heavy drinking and heartbreak to multiple great songs about siblings from the 21st century.
"Brothers," Dean Brody
Canadian country singer Dean Brody's 2008 debut single for Broken Bow tells of how a brother's upcoming stint in the military impacts his sibling.
"Brother," Brett Eldridge
The lyrics to Eldridge's "Brother" read more like an ode to a teammate or hunting buddy than a blood relative, but it still touches on that brotherly bond that forms over time.
"Brother to the Blues," George Jones
This one also talks about something other than literal brothers. Jones is a brother to the blues and his love interest is a sister to satisfaction--two of the best lyrical uses of sibling imagery you'll find in classic country songs.
"Brothers of a Bottle," George Jones
Another analogy by The Possum explains that when it comes to heartbreak, most men are a "brother to a bottle and glass."
"Brothers of the Highway," George Strait
Truck drivers, touring musicians and others with their own piece of the road get dubbed "bothers of the highway, children of the wind" by King George in yet another example of a sibling analogy used by a country legend.
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," Glen Campbell
Campbell's on the long list of artists to cover this classic by the Hollies. Of course, one of the best song interpreters from any genre knocked a pop standard out of the park.
"Blood Brothers," Luke Bryan
Bryan tugs at listeners' heartstrings with this emotional jog down memory lane. It's even more poignant when you consider that Bryan's outlived his brother Chris and sister Kelly.
"Brotherly Love," Gary Stewart and Dean Dillon
The songwriter dream team of Stewart and Dillon wrote a much different song than the Keith Whitley and Earl Thomas Conley single of the same title. Stewart and Dillon's sibling story finds a pair of brothers planning a night at the local honky-tonk.
Read More: Mike and the Moonpies' Surprise Album Fulfills Gary Stewart's Family and Friends' Dreams [Interview]
"Brotherly Love," Keith Whitley and Earl Thomas Conley
Two of the greatest voices of the '80s earned a Grammy nomination for their version of this Jimmy Alan Stewart and Tim Nichols co-write. It was recorded in 1987 and released after Whitley's 1989 passing on two 1991 releases: Whitley's Kentucky Bluebird and Conley's Yours Truly.
"I Drive Your Truck," Lee Brice
The most moving country songs about brothers ever recorded (and one of the genre's best modern statements of patriotism) tells of a young man dealing with his brother's death while serving his country overseas.
