Top Five Genre-Crossing Collaborations

Musicians have collaborated for years. Before tying the knot, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood were making hit records together. Don Henley helped Stevie Nicks create a classic with "Leather and Lace". The Highwaymen all had successful solo careers as Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson while The Traveling Wilburys was a super group made up of George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne. Each of these collaborations happened within the same genre.

Genre-crossing collaborations blend two different musical worlds - rock and country, rap and classic rock/pop, crooners and glam rock. This collection represents the Top Five Genre-Crossing Collaborations.

Loretta Lynn & Jack White
Loretta Lynn is synonymous with classic country while Jack White, the leader of The White Stripes gave college football fans "Seven Nation Army". White produced Lynn's 2004 Van Lear Rose, which garnered two Grammy awards including Best Country Album and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for their "Portland, Oregon".

The duet is brilliantly arranged with White's country/rock guitar blending seamlessly with Lynn's classic country voice and the tale of a one night stand in "Portland, Oregon."

David Bowie & Bing Crosby
I repeatedly watch the video of David Bowie and Bing Crosby performing "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" every holiday season. Their voices blend beautifully and even though I'm often moved to tears, I want to see it again. Recorded as part of Bing Crosby's annual televised Christmas special in 1977, Crosby would die just a few weeks later.

According to a legend in the Washington Post, the duet almost didn't happen. The original script called for the pair to sing "Little Drummer Boy", but Bowie refused. The musical production team frantically wrote an original song called "Peace on Earth" and intertwined the two songs into a holiday standard.

Eminem & Elton John
While nominated for 4 Grammy awards for his The Marshall Mathers LP in 2001, Eminem was under fire from GLAAD as a homophobe due to his lyrics. When Elton John agreed to the Grammy duet, GLAAD lashed out at Sir Elton via a statement by then-Executive Director Joan Garry: "GLAAD is appalled that John would share a stage with Eminem, whose words and actions promote hate and violence against gays and lesbians."

The live performance of Eminem's "Stan", a song about a deranged suicidal fan and a mash-up with Dido's "Thank You" featured Elton John singing the chorus. The duet received a standing ovation.

Nelly & Tim McGraw
A surprising hit from R & B/rapper Nelly's 2004 album Suit was "Over and Over" featuring country megastar Tim McGraw. The up-tempo ballad flew up in the ratings, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the UK Singles chart.

The video for over and over received heavy airplay on CMT and was nominated for two CMT awards: Collaborative Video of the Year and Hottest Video of the Year.

Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
I didn't bat an eye at the 1999 release of Metallica's S & M. The blending of one of metals greatest bands with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra live in concert just worked in my mind. Before I ever listened to a single track, I could understand how the collaboration would work. The darkness of Metallica's music was made for a symphonic backing.

One of the surprising things about S & M is James Hetfield's singing voice. The metal growl was present, of course. However, there were times that Hetfield sounded melodic - proving that he's more than just a metal frontman.

See the Videos of each of these genre-crossing collaborations:
Loretta Lynn & Jack White
David Bowie & Bing Crosby
Eminem & Elton John
Nelly & Tim McGraw
Metallica & the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

Sources: Washington Post ; MTV News ; CMT