10 Country Artists Who Have Brought Their Talents to Musical Productions

Country music artists have long had ties to musical theatre — and it seems natural, given that both country music concerts and the electrifying shows of Broadway share similarities. Both are built around stories and tales that connect with human emotions, and both feature teams of people intent on combining music, songwriting, performance, lighting and production to convey a message and experience that fans take with them for years to come.

Country artists have brought their musical and performance gifts to musicals–whether on Broadway, off-Broadway, touring or on television–in several ways. Most recently, Dolly Parton revealed that she wrote the book and music for the upcoming project Dolly: An Original Musical, which will premiere in Nashville this summer at Belmont University‘s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, before heading to Broadway in 2026. Parton previously had crafted the music and lyrics for the musical version of the movie 9 to 5, based on the 1983 film which starred Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

In 2022, singer-songwriter Brandy Clark worked with songwriter-producer Shane McAnally to craft the musical Shucked, which earned nine Tony nominations (Shucked cast member Alex Newell won in the best featured actor in a musical category). “King of the Road” and “Dang Me” hitmaker Roger Miller wrote the music for the Tony Award-winning musical Big River. Meanwhile, Kenny Rogers co-created the holiday musical The Toy Shoppe (the musical also starred another country singer, “Only Here for a Little While” hitmaker Billy Dean).

More often, though, country singers including Reba McEntire, Jennifer Nettles, Larry Gatlin and Mac Davis parlayed their talent for entertaining audiences into key roles in an array of musicals throughout the years. Below, we look at several country artists who have had roles in musicals, whether on Broadway, in touring productions or on television.