Hardy has developed a passionate fanbase among rock and country fans alike – but who are some of the artists he admires?
During a recent conversation with SNSMix, the “Jim Bob” singer was asked to name his Southern rock Mount Rushmore, and he was eager to oblige.
“Skynyrd is number one,” Hardy declared. “It’s crazy to think otherwise. Blackberry Smoke – they’re not old, they’re current – but have you heard them? They’re amazing. So good. I’m putting them up there because they deserve it, and people can hate all they want.”
“Next, the Allman Brothers,” Hardy continued. “There are a lot of Southern rock bands that only had a couple of hits, and I don’t personally know Marshall Tucker’s deep catalog, but I do know a lot of Allman Brothers and I love them. And then Little Feat. That’s a weird one, but I just love them. So yeah, those are my top four.”
Hardy’s popularity with both rock and country fans certainly places him in the kind of genre-bending space that Lynyrd Skynyrd once occupied. And while Hardy noted that some country music traditionalists have criticized his style, the vast majority have been supportive.
“If you go back and watch the evolution of country music, it takes genre-bending people to keep the genre from getting stagnant and stale,” he explained. “It helps the genre evolve.”
As for the resurgence of country’s mainstream popularity, Hardy credited one artist in particular.
“I personally think Morgan Wallen is a big reason it’s been so popularized,” the singer noted. “He’s had such a huge outreach – playing stadiums, having crossover records that are pop but still sound country. I mean, he sounds like a redneck when he sings. He’s a country guy, through and through.”
