The Ultimate Southern Playlist

When I started writing my book, This Is My South: The Essential Travel Guide to the Southern States, I knew music would be an important part of it. Because what’s more important than good music when traveling? It was certainly a big part of my life growing up in this region.

I put together a list of what I considered to be essential tunes from around the region and across all genres for the front of the book. I’ve since turned it into a Spotify playlist and added some more songs. If you have some you’d like to see added, leave them in the comments!

An Essential Southern Playlist

There’s no denying how greatly Southern music has impacted the rest of the country. But each state and region has its own style. There’s the Mississippi and Arkansas blues, Old Time music in North Carolina, bluegrass in Kentucky and Virginia, zydeco and jazz in Louisiana, country in Tennessee, and modern rock, rap, and hip-hop in Georgia. All of the artists mentioned in this playlist hail from the region and some might surprise you.

1. These Arms of Mine, Otis Redding
2. When the Saints Go Marching In, Louis Armstrong
3. Birmingham, Shovels and Rope
4. Jolene, Dolly Parton
5. Back Down South, Kings of Leon
6. Wagon Wheel, Old Crow Medicine Show
7. Home, Marc Broussard
8. Suspicious Minds, Elvis
9. The Thrill is Gone, BB King
10. Deep River Blues, Doc Watson
11. Hold On, The Alabama Shakes
12. Ms. Jackson, OutKast
13. Time, Hootie and the Blowfish
14. Oh My Sweet Carolina, Ryan Adams
15. Stand by Your Man, Tammy Wynette
16. Call Me, St. Paul and the Broken Bones
17. Love Shack, the B-52s
18. Get on Up, James Brown
19. Zip City, Drive-by Truckers
20. Georgia on My Mind, Ray Charles
21. My Town, Montgomery Gentry
22. Crash, Dave Matthews Band
23. Dream a Little Dream of Me, Ella Fitzgerald
24. Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash
25. Hit ‘Em Up Style, The Carolina Chocolate Drops
26. Cripple Creek, Earl Scruggs
27. Stay Fly, Three 6 Mafia
28. Coal Miner’s Daughter, Loretta Lynn
29. Ramblin’, Marshall Tucker Band
30. Bring It On Home To Me, Sam Cooke