A Little Bit of Country Music Goes a Long Way for Nontraditional Artists

Her country music prowess has translated into commercial power as she appeared in a Juicy Fruit ad campaign.

Jessica Simpson

Hoping to revive a sagging musical career and break out from the dumb-but-beautiful-blond persona that the reality show "Newlyweds" helped solidify, Jessica Simpson decided to see if country music could bolster her musical credibility.

Her 2008 country release "Do You Know" gave the crooner the first No. 1 album of her career. The singer is set to tour with Rascal Flatts.

This may make up for her December 2006 miscue during a tribute to Dolly Patron when Simpson forgot the lyrics at the Kennedy Center Awards.

Lil' Wayne

Hip-hop's current lyrical king may be a far stretch from traditional country music performers, but that didn't stop Lil' Wayne from dropping by the CMA Awards for a performance with Kid Rock.

The pair performed Rock's "All Summer Long" just as they did at the MTV Video Music Awards last summer. The New Orleans rapper didn't spit any rhymes during the performance, but the dreadlocked performer did rock out on a guitar, proving his skills go beyond setting the mic ablaze.

Kid Rock

Kid Rock has never been shy about flirting with other music genres. He may have entered music on Detroit's hip-hop scene, but after gaining national attention, he became uber-successful marrying hip-hop and rock.

Then, he and singer Sheryl Crow released a huge pop country hit in 2001 called "Picture." Sure, it featured the common staples of cheating, beer, whiskey and some drug use, but, man, did it sound good.

It also laid the groundwork for his most recent album, "Rock N Roll Jesus," which clearly takes some cues from the country music community. Singles like "Roll On" show how much twang has influenced Kid Rock's music.

Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash was a country music star with so many memorable songs and performances, it would take tons of print to list them all. But one of his most engaging songs and moments came not from a Cash original but rather a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song.