by Joyce V Harrison

Created on: July 26, 2010

No music does “party” quite like country. Put together your own party mix and see if that doesn’t liven up any casual get-together, summertime or not, but especially good if you’re serving cold beers, margaritas and barbecue. No matter whether your crowd usually likes country or not, you can be sure the cranked-up guitars can set the mood for kicking up your heels. And country has songs everyone can join in, even if they don’t know the words.

Here are ten ideas for tracks to include.

1. Garth Brooks: “Friends in Low Places” is an oldie now but still a goodie.

2. Gretchen Wilson: Of course, she is one artist who belongs in any party mix. Choose “Red Neck Woman” (everyone can shout out the “hell yeah”) or “Here for the Party.”

3. Rascal Flatts: With lyrics like, “We gonna rock this thang, cock this thang, “Me and My Gang” is another fun, upbeat track.

4. Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet: The name of the song, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” easily says it all.

5. Kenny Chesney: He has a few songs that you can consider, namely “Got A Little Crazy” and “No Shoes. No Shirt. No Problem.”

6. Brooks and Dunn: This duo, now retired after a hit-packed career, always delivers a catchy beat and you can take your pick of songs. Go for “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “Hillbilly Deluxe,” “Play Something Country,” or any one of their many other popular rock-outs.

7. Kid Rock: It’s not a mistake to include this rocker/rapper from Detroit. His “All Summer Long” was a 2009 hit on the country charts too. Same goes for the pop rock band Nickelback and their summer 2010 single, “This Afternoon”

8. Brad Paisley with Keith Urban: The two master guitar players do a duet on “Start A Band.”

9. Tim McGraw: You can go back to 1994 for “Indian Outlaw” and “Down on the Farm” or 1995 for “I Like It, I Love It.”

10. Trace Adkins: Just giving you the title, “Honkytonk Badonkadonk” should also tell you it’s not for the bridge club.

This mix of ten may not be long enough once the party gets into full swing. You can add favorites to the list if you happen to already be a country fan. If not, you can always hear streams from the tracks on iTunes. In that case, also check out artists such as Big and Rich, Toby Keith, Kellie Pickler, Zac Brown, Carrie Underwood and Dierks Bentley. 

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