Country Strong jumps from #10 to #6 on this week's Billboard 200. It's the 10th country-oriented movie soundtrack to reach the top 10. Country Strong features Gwyneth Paltrow and the movie's other stars as well as country stalwarts Chris Young & Patty Loveless, Sara Evans, Lee Ann Womack, Ronnie Dunn, Hank Williams Jr., Faith Hill and Trace Adkins.
A digital-only sequel, Country Strong (More Music From The Motion Picture), vaults from #48 to #23 this week. These are two of 16 country-oriented movie soundtracks to reach the top 30. The movies these soundtracks are drawn from include bio-pics of Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash, as well as movies starring Willie Nelson, George Strait and Miley Cyrus.
You may be wondering how Cyrus got on this list. Hannah Montana: The Movie is right on the line between pop and country. Billboard kept the soundtrack off its Top Country Albums chart until its fifth week of release, when it reversed itself and let it in. Cyrus' hit ballad "The Climb" has a country-ish quality. So does "Butterfly Fly Away," her duet with her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus. The album also features country stalwarts Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift.
Here are the 16 country-oriented movie soundtracks which have made the top 30 on The Billboard 200. They're ranked in descending order.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? The soundtrack was #1 for two weeks in March 2002, right after it won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch are among the artists on the album. George Clooney starred in the movie, which also featured John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson and John Goodman.
Hannah Montana: The Movie. The soundtrack hit #1 in May 2009. Miley Cyrus starred in the movie and sings 12 of the album's 18 tracks, including the smash "The Climb." Tracks by Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts upped the album's country cred.
Urban Cowboy. The soundtrack was #3 for two weeks in September 1980. The album spawned six top 40 hits, including Johnny Lee's "Looking For Love" and Anne Murray's "Can I Have This Dance." John Travolta starred in the movie.
How The West Was Won. The soundtrack reached #4 in 1963. This box-office smash received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Score for Alfred Newman and Ken Darby. The movie starred Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda and James Stewart, as well as Debbie Reynolds, who sings three songs on the soundtrack.
Hope Floats. The soundtrack reached #4 in July 1998. The album blends country and rock, sometimes on the same track (a duet by Bob Seger and Martina McBride). Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr. starred in the movie.
Pure Country. George Strait starred in the movie and sang all the songs on the album, which reached #6 in November 1992. It was his first top 10 album on the pop chart. The album included his hits "Heartland," "I Cross My Heart" and "When Did You Stop Loving Me."
Country Strong. Gwyneth Paltrow stars in the movie, which also features Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester. Paltrow sings four songs on the soundtrack, including the hit title song. Sara Evans' "A Little Bit Stronger" is also a hit. The soundtrack jumps from #10 to #6 this week.
The Alamo. The soundtrack to this John Wayne movie reached #7 in 1960. Marty Robbins' "Ballad Of The Alamo" was the biggest hit from the album. In addition to starring in the movie, Wayne produced it. The movie was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Score and Best Original Song (the latter two for Dimitri Tiomkin).
Walk The Line. The soundtrack to this Johnny Cash bio-pic peaked at #9 in March 2006. Joaquin Phoenix received an Oscar nomination for playing the Man in Black. Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for playing his wife, June Carter.
Coyote Ugly. The soundtrack to the chick flick reached #10 in September 2000. The album featured four new songs performed by LeAnn Rimes, including the crossover hit "Can't Fight The Moonlight." The movie's cast included Maria Bello and Tyra Banks.
Honeysuckle Rose. The soundtrack by Willie Nelson & Family hit #11 in October 1980. Nelson received an Oscar nomination for his #1 country hit "On The Road Again." Other artists on the album include Emmylou Harris and Hank Cochran. Nelson, Dyan Cannon and Amy Irving starred in the movie.
Your Cheatin' Heart. Hank Williams Jr. sings the songs in this bio-pic of his father, country legend Hank Williams. The soundtrack peaked at #16 in April 1965. George Hamilton played Hank Sr. in the movie.
Honeymoon In Vegas. The soundtrack hit #18 in September 1992. The album consisted of contemporary pop, rock and country stars covering Elvis Presley songs. Billy Joel's "All Shook Up" cracked the Hot 100. James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker starred in the movie.
Crazy Heart. The soundtrack hit #18 in March 2010. Jeff Bridges won an Oscar for playing the fictional Bad Blake in the movie. He also sings five songs on the soundtrack. Ryan Bingham contributes two songs, including "The Weary Kind," which brought him and T Bone Burnett an Oscar for Best Original Song.
Country Strong (More Music From The Motion Picture) The digital-only album jumps from #48 to #23 this week. The album includes "Give In To Me" by Garrett Hedlund & Leighton Meester and Meester's "Summer Girl."
Sweet Dreams. The soundtrack reached #29 in December 1985. Jessica Lange received an Oscar nomination for playing Patsy Cline in the bio-pic. Ed Harris was her co-star. The album includes such Cline hits as "Walkin' After Midnight," "I Fall To Pieces" and "Crazy."
The Fine Print: Elvis Presley defies categorization. He's in both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His movie soundtracks which spawned big country (as well as pop) hits include Loving You, Loving You, Vol. II, Love Me Tender and King Creole (all from the 1950s). The 1970 soundtrack Elvis-That's The Way It Is made the top 30 on both the pop and country album charts.
What about Deliverance? There was no soundtrack album to that 1972 movie, but the 1973 album Dueling Banjos by Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell topped both the pop and country charts. The title song was also a multi-format smash. The rollicking instrumental, which was composed in 1955, won a Grammy as Best Country Instrumental.
How about country-oriented TV soundtracks? Four have made the top 30: Presley's Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite (#1 in 1973) and Elvis In Concert (#5 in 1977), Touched By An Angel-The Album (#16 in 1998) and Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For The Road (#19 in 2006).
Joel Whitburn's Hot Country Albums 1964-2007 was a big help in preparing this column. Here's a link to his site.
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