8 Country Music Stars Who Could Play the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Stephen Andrew

02/15/2024 06:08 pm EST

The Super Bowl Halftime Show is always a major spectacle to behold, and is easily as anticipated as the big game itself each year. Over the past few decades, the mid-game event has been dominated by pop and hip-hop artists — with a few rock bands thrown in here and there — but country music has been noticeably underrepresented.

The last time the Super Bowl Halftime Show featured traditional country music artists was in 1994 when Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, and The Judds performed during Super Bowl XXVIII. This year the show will feature Usher — who is sure to deliver an epic performance — but we think there's some country music star that the NFL should consider for future Halftime Shows, starting with...

Dolly Parton

(Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images for ABA)

We wouldn't be real country music fans if we didn't lead with the Queen herself, Dolly Parton. With near-countless hit songs under her rhinestone belt — like "Jolene" and "9 to 5" — there is no doubt that Super Bowl Halftime Show watchers would be in for a treat from start to finish.

Plus, we'd sure love to see a few surprise guests pop out to sing with her. Maybe even a few friends from her recent Rockstar album, like Lynyrd Skynyrd or Chris Stapleton.

Kenny Chesney

(Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Kenny Chesney's impact on the longevity of country music cannot be overstated. He has many top 10 singles and at least three of his albums have been certified 4× Platinum: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (2002), When the Sun Goes Down (2004), and his first Greatest Hits compilation.

Just last year, Billboard reported that Chesney holds the record for all-time highest-grossing touring country artist, surpassing $1 billion in revenue. We would love to see a stadium full of NFL fans swaying and singing along with Chesney and Uncle Cracker to their hit song "When the Sun Goes Down."

Carrie Underwood

(Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo)

It's undeniable that Carrie Underwood is one of the biggest country music stars of the modern era. She's an American Idol champion, has billions of streams online, and eight out of her nine studio albums all peaked at number one on U.S. country music charts.

From "Before He Cheats" to "Blown Away" and the remix of her song "The Champion" with Ludacris, Underwood has plenty of tunes to make an epic Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Luke Bryan

(Photo: Connie Chornuk via Getty Images)

Luke Bryan's gig as a judge on American Idol has certainly given him a lot of visibility in the past several years, but he is a country star who wields a lot of star power with fans. Not only does he currently sit at 26 No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits, but he also landed at number three on Billboard's list of all-time highest-grossing touring country artists, landing only behind Kenny Chesney and George Strait.

We imagine that Bryan could pull out all the stops and serve up one incredible Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Garth Brooks

To be perfectly honest, we can't believe Garth Brooks hasn't done a Super Bowl Halftime Show yet. His whole career seems tailor-made for it. We could start naming some of his hit songs but if we did the list would just keep going until we ran out of space.

Dubbed the top-selling country music artist of all time — per a 2023 Business Insider report — we feel confident that Brooks would deliver the performance of a lifetime.

Luke Combs

(Photo: Terry Wyatt/WireImage/Getty Images)

From one of the all-time greatest make country music stars ever, to one who's quickly making his way up that list... we think Luke Combs has the showmanship and the recognition to be a great choice for the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

We also wouldn't mind another chance to hear him perform "Fast Car" with Tracy Chapman.

Chris Stapleton

(Photo: SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Here's the thing... we know that Chris Stapleton is not an obvious choice for a Super Bowl Halftime Show performer, but he has the hits, and the friends, to make it truly incredible. In addition to his solo singles, he counts artists like Justin Timberlake, Dolly Parton, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift among his many collaborators.

All that we ask is, if this ever happens, Stapleton brings T-Pain out to perform "Tennessee Whiskey" with him.

Taylor Swift

(Photo: Natasha Moustache/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

Look, we know that Taylor Swift has generated a lot of conversation around the NFL lately, what with her dating returning Super Bowl champ Travis Kelce — not to mention the increase in television viewership when she attends his games with the Kansas City Chiefs — but the fact of the matter is, she probably has the most well-oiled performance team on this list.

She would, simply, bring to life a Super Bowl Halftime Show that would put most others to shame. (We said "most." No one can take the crown from Prince.)

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