I grew up hearing my parents, alumni of the University of Tennessee at Martin, talk about the great concerts they attended on campus when they were students. UT Martin is much smaller than our state’s flagship campus, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, but it pulled in some big acts back in the day.
The school hosted fewer concerts when I was growing up in neighboring Gibson County, but the 1994 Soybean Festival brought Suzy Bogguss and Tim McGraw to Pacer Arena. I was in eighth grade, and my uncle took me to see the show.
Times have changed since then. Skyhawks replaced Pacers as the UT Martin mascot, and the basketball teams now play in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Tim McGraw hasn’t been an opening act in 30 years. And mercifully, I haven’t worn a suede vest over a t-shirt since that 1994 concert either.
Suzy Bogguss’s clear, resonant voice remains as pure as ever. Influenced by singing cowboys Roy Rogers and Gene Autry and singer/songwriters Merle Haggard and Emmylou Harris, Suzy made a name for herself with her 1991 release Aces, her third studio album that produced three Top 10 hits and garnered her the 1992 Country Music Association Horizon Award (now known as New Artist of the Year).
Three decades later, Suzy’s still recording and touring. Just a couple of weeks ago, her friend Kathy Mattea, on her own Grand Ole Opry induction night, invited Suzy to join the famed country music family shortly after taking the stage as a newly inducted member herself. Their fellow ‘90s stars Trisha Yearwood and Terri Clark were standing by with tears in their eyes as Suzy emotionally said yes.
Suzy, Kathy, and Terri are bonded by more than their success in a golden decade. They’re also examples of what I like best about ‘90s country: there was room. Room for women and men who didn’t fit the mold of superstardom but carved out meaningful, lasting careers. Room for voices that were thoughtful and quietly powerful. Suzy wasn’t a stadium act, but she was a consistent presence on the radio and one of my favorite artists of the decade.
In honor of the Opry giving Suzy Bogguss her due, let’s dissect the crystal-clear voice that has connected with fans for over 30 years.
‘Like crystal water’
In 1994, Suzy Bogguss recorded Simpatico with guitar legend Chet Atkins. Known as Mister Guitar and the Country Gentleman, Chet Atkins was an architect of the Nashville sound, which mixed pop production values with traditional country instruments and songwriting. He produced records for some of country music’s finest, including Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Eddy Arnold, Don Gibson, and Jim Reeves.
When a guy known for having “a golden ear” wants to record an album with you, you’re doing something right. Before Simpatico, Chet Atkins wrote in the liner notes of Suzy’s debut album, “Her voice sparkles like crystal water.”
Her voice is, indeed, as pure as a mountain stream. You hear it in the graduation standard “Letting Go” and the Western tentpole “Someday Soon” as clearly as the emotional “Aces” and underrated “You Wouldn’t Say That to a Stranger.”
Suzy Bogguss has moved through the 2000s to the present with less chart success, but that hasn’t diminish how fans feel about her. Instead, we celebrate her experimentation with swing and jazz music on the Ray Benson-produced Swing and her cover of Chicago’s “If You Leave Me Now” on 2007’s Sweet Danger.
Her radiant voice is at home on American Folk Songbook, which connects modern listeners to some of our country’s most important songs, and her 2014 album Lucky is a beautifully crafted love letter to Merle Haggard. Nobody sings Merle better than Merle, but her cover of “Silver Wings” is almost perfect.
Suzy’s musicianship also shines through her recordings. I always appreciated that, like Emmylou and Kathy, Suzy clung to her guitar when other women set theirs aside. I can’t say whether she was pushing back against the norms of gender dynamics in country music or just more comfortable playing guitar while singing, but her talent and authenticity are undeniable.
It was true way back in 1994 at Pacer Arena in Martin and again in 2008 when I saw her in an intimate performance at the Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center in Huntingdon. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s still true today.
Whether you’re a die-hard Suzy Bogguss fan, dusting off your memories of her, or totally unfamiliar, here are some songs that show off her warm, rich voice.
My Top 5 Suzy Bogguss Songs
1. “Just Like the Weather”
From her 1993 album Something Up My Sleeve. Written by Suzy Bogguss and Doug Crider. Peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
This is a sentimental favorite I’m putting at the top spot because it’s one of the few songs I can decently play on guitar. I love that Suzy Bogguss co-wrote and had a hit with this one with her husband Doug Crider.
2. “Hey Cinderella”
From her 1993 album Something Up My Sleeve. Written by Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss, and Gary Harrison. Peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
After watching a friend get married and get older, the song’s narrator contemplates what the women in the song are missing. It’s a clever take on the old fairy tale, culminating a question for Cinderella: Does the shoe fit you now? Matraca Berg’s fingerprints are all over this gem. (Bonus: Reba McEntire officially inducted Suzy into the Opry on Jan. 16, 2026. A fan posted a video of Reba, Trisha Yearwood, Terri Clark, and Kathy Mattea helping Opry’s newest member out on “Hey Cinderella.” It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face.)
3. “Drive South”
From her 1992 album Voices in the Wind. Written by John Hiatt. Peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Early in her career, Suzy Bogguss showed a penchant for recording songs written by Americana singer/songwriters. It’s the first of three songs in my list that fit the bill. Ain’t gotta pack your nylons for this Hiatt-penned, carefree road trip.
4. “Outbound Plane”
From her 1991 album Aces. Written by Nanci Griffith and Tom Russell. Peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
“Letting Go,” often performed at commencement ceremonies at the time, was my introduction to Suzy Bogguss. I ordered Aces from Columbia House largely for that song and was delighted to find “Outbound Plane” and “Someday Soon” on the same cassette. This is another up-tempo song with Americana vibes that sits right in Suzy’s sweet spot.
5. “Someday Soon”
From her 1991 album Aces. Written by Ian Tyson. Peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Lots of men and women have recorded this Western standard that leans heavily on Suzy’s singing cowboy influences. Just picture her strumming her guitar while riding a horse into the sunset and singing plaintively about the rodeo cowboy who has stolen her heart and her parents’ dreams for their daughter.
Bonus Album Cuts
“Forget About It”
From her 1994 album Simpatico with Chet Atkins. Written by Robert Lee Castleman.
I love Alison Krauss, and her 1999 version of this song is one of my favorites. I use the term “pure” to describe her voice as well as that of Suzy Bogguss, but there are different kinds of purity. While Alison wows and soothes with her angelic vocals, Suzy’s crystalline voice provides a slightly different but still powerful interpretation of the song.
“If You Leave Me Now”
From her 2007 album Sweet Danger. Written by Peter Cetera.
True story: Suzy Bogguss introduced this song when I saw her live at The Dixie by telling the audience that she was surprised to hear an “American Idol” contestant namecheck her for covering the Chicago classic. I felt compelled to say aloud from my seat, “Yours is the best version.” She was kind enough to sign autographs and pose for pictures after the show, and I told her, “Yours really is the best version of ‘If You Leave Me Now.’” Her reply? “Ah, that was you.” My face flushed, and my mother had a good chuckle. Still, her voice is made for this song.
“Night Rider’s Lament”
From her 1989 album Somewhere Between. Written by Michael Burton.
Suzy yodels effortlessly on this poignant tribute to working cowboys and really any “outsiders” who defy convention and find freedom in solitude. I’m proud to say I’ve heard Suzy sing this one live twice, and each time gave me chills.
What’s your favorite Suzy Bogguss song or album? Do you prefer her older stuff, or have you gotten into her newer material released on independent labels? Let me know in the comments as I chart where Roots & Rhinestones will take us next. I see a fork in the road: one path leads to the famed Class of 1989 — Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, and Travis Tritt — and the other to the country-flavored tribute and cover albums I played on repeat in the ‘90s.
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