We want to give some love to the country music artists we're passionate about. Each has decisively influenced the genre. This list will make you think about where they belong on your own list of country western singers.
I asked myself why my favorite country music artists have staying power. It's likeability, having great tunes to sing, and magnificent, timeless vocal ability.
Where is country music most popular? Nashville, Tennessee, home of the Grand Ole Opry, is the country music hub of the USA. But you can be anywhere, from Manhattan to Miami to Montana, and adore country music.
Our Requirements for Consideration for Best Country Western Singers
When you say "the best" or "the greatest," everyone has a different definition. It's hard to rank all these famous country stars both past and present. So we applied a few standards such as consistency, longevity - sorry, no one-hit wonders or newcomers here! - prestigious awards, chart-topping songs, artistic creativity, and album sales.
You might disagree with our choices. That's okay! What we all can agree on, however, is how important country music artists are in our lives. They bring us joy, make us weep, and remind us of the fragility and universality of the human condition like performers in no other genre can.
Best Country Music Artists
1. Dolly Parton
No one can match the inimitable Dolly Parton. She can never be toppled from her perch as her fans' number 1 country artist.
She has sold a staggering 100 million-plus records globally during her half-century-long career. Dolly is in the Country Music Hall of Fame, has won 8 Grammys, 11 Academy of Country Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, a Library of Congress Living Legend Award, and a Kennedy Center Honor...well, you get the picture!
It's hard to pick just one classic Dolly Parton song, but the plaintive "I Will Always Love You" is certainly among them. Dolly wrote and recorded it in 1973 as a sweet goodbye to fellow country music singer Porter Wagoner, with whom she had a professional connection for seven years. In June 1974, this song soared to the top position on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. She is a beloved country music artist!
2. Carrie Underwood
When Carrie Underwood appeared on American Idol in 2005, the wholesome girl from Muskogee, Oklahoma, wowed the audience. Carrie has since sold 85 million records worldwide.
She collected accolades galore, including seven Grammys, 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, eight Country Music Association Awards, and 17 American Music Awards.
Her performance of "How Great Thou Art," with Vince Gill on guitar, is beyond description in its raw emotion. She starts off mellow and builds to a rapturous crescendo. Carrie has spoken gratefully about the experience of doing this standard alongside Gill, labeling it "other-worldly."
3. Patsy Cline
The late Patsy Cline is a mainstay on lists of best country singers of all time. She expanded the genre's possibilities in novel ways. Patsy made an everlasting impression on country music.
Her career took off in the 1960s. Patsy was welcomed into the Grand Ole Opry and had hits like "I Fall to Pieces," a country music chart-topper that also landed in the top 20 on the pop charts. Willie Nelson wrote another of Patsy's hallmark songs, "Crazy," in 1961. She was honored with a posthumous place in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Patsy enhanced country music's crossover with pop with songs such as "Walkin' After Midnight."
According to Guinness World Records, Patsy Cline's 12 Greatest Hits album spent an astounding 722 weeks on the US Country chart, 251 weeks in first place.
"Crazy" is one of Patsy's signature songs. Anyone who has cared for someone in that all-consuming way will understand what she is saying. Patsy's genuineness and intensity lend the song a deep resonance. After so many decades, it still retains its freshness.
4. Shania Twain
Shania Twain's 1995 album The Woman in Me was a bona fide showstopper. It generated eight smash hit singles like "Any Man of Mine" (it reached No. 1, ranked in the Country Top 10, and made the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40), "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" (Billboard Country chart No. 11), and the title song (it charted at No. 14).
This beguiling vocalist followed that album two years later with Come On Over. It launched a slew of monster hits such as "From This Moment On," "You're Still the One," "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," and "That Don't Impress Me Much."
Come On Over earned the distinction of being "the bestselling country album of all time," with sales of 40 million all around the world. It is also "the biggest-selling album of any female artist in any genre."
The bouncy, flirty "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" is pure Shania. It oozes sass and moxie. Shania delivers it with enough classy oomph to register with women untethering themselves from gender-based limitations. She intends to wear what she wants, act like she wants, toss convention to the wind, and hush the naysayers. You go, girl!
5. Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks is a hit-making machine in a lane by himself among country music artists. According to Garth's website, "He remains the #1-selling solo artist in U.S. history, certified by the RIAA with 157 million album sales."57 million album sales.#1-selling solo artist in U.S. history, certified by the RIAA with 157 million album sales. Bro
He racked up 20 #1 Billboard singles, his Garth Brooks World Tour that ended in 2017 was "the biggest North American tour in history", and he's in the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and other esteemed music-related Halls of Fame. Garth has reportedly received every notable honor in the recording business, including two Grammys.
When you listen to Garth sing "Friends in Low Places", you realize why you love this guy. There is something so amiable and down-to-earth that comes across in his voice and lyrics. He's relatable, despite his stature as a king of country music. "Friends in Low Places" won critical recognition with the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Single of the Year Awards in 1991.
6. Johnny Cash
The late Johnny Cash has his own niche among old country singers. He celebrated what is truly great about America.
He garnered 9 Country Music Association Awards, 13 Grammys, a Kennedy Center Honor, plus induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame. Johnny sold more than 90 million albums.
Listening to him sing "Hurt" is piercingly sorrowful. Johnny recorded it in 2002, the year before he died. It resembles a dirge, with lyrics like "What have I become? / My sweetest friend / Everyone I know / Goes away in the end...." The way he interpreted the song, it's Johnny's farewell, an elegy for all the heartbreak he knew, the anguish he suffered, and the life of torment and triumph he lived. His voice sounds gutted. The legend continues.
7. Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson is a troubadour in a country music world defined by "bruised hearts, small pleasures, words written in red and easy good times." He keeps alive the glorious tradition of George Strait, Merle Haggard, and Hank Williams.
Jackson has sold 60 million+ albums, winning two Grammys, 16 Country Music Association Awards, a Billboard Music Award, and 15 Academy of Country Music Awards. He's in the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry.
Listen to his lovably rambunctious 1993 song, "Chattahoochee," which Atlanta Magazine called "the ultimate water anthem." The song raked in awards - ASCAP Song of the Year, spent a month atop the Billboard Hot Country charts and was the Country Music Association Song of the Year. Its insistent, infectious beat just screams "Let's have some rip-roarin' fun and raise a little hell!" Loads of fiddles add to the good-time mood.
8. Luke Bryan
Luke Bryan is a masterful country music artist whose storytelling prowess is on full display on albums like Kill The Lights, the springboard for an impressive six #1 singles that landed on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
Luke's boy-next-door charm whisked his albums and singles to chart-topping stature. "All My Friends Say" found a home on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for over seven months. "Someone Else Calling You Baby" and Rain Is a Good Thing" were No. 1 county singles.
His Crash My Party album was the Academy of Country Music's Album of the Decade. He has been Entertainer of the Year five times and has 30 No. 1 hits to his credit. Luke has over 11 million worldwide album sales.
His sincerity permeates "I Don't Want This Night To End," a lively tune from 2011 that showcases Luke's easy way of drawing a listener into his world. Instead of having the gal not wanting the night to end, this time, it's the guy, who is pleasantly besotted by his attractive female companion. Luke has a fabulous knack of making you feel that you are the only one he's singing to.
9. Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean burst into prominence with a single titled "Hicktown" in 2005. It rocketed into the Billboard Country Top 10. A subsequent song, "Why," did even better, landing at No. 1.
He has notched 28 No. 1 singles, is the Academy of Country Music Artist of the Decade, and hauled in 13 Academy of Country Music Awards, two Country Music Association Awards, three Academy of Country Music Awards for Entertainer of the Year, as well as other industry accolades. He has sold over 20 million albums.
"Dirt Road Anthem" is a potent blend of rap and country. Aldean puts the two together and he really makes it sizzle. There's a hint of swagger, a ton of honesty, some country grit and realism, and vivid images of country life. People who have experienced that lifestyle will instantly recognize it. Those who haven't will savor this glimpse.
10. Tim McGraw
Inspired as a youngster by Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Charley Pride, Tim McGraw followed in their footsteps. He has been called "one of the world's most popular country singers." His sophomore album, Not A Moment Too Soon, remained at the peak of the country chart for half a year and eventually sold eight million copies.
His 1997 album Everywhere was home to three No. 1 songs. Other successful albums and singles came after. The awards he has had bestowed on him are too numerous to mention, but they include three Grammys, 11 Country Music Association Awards, and 14 Academy of Country Music Awards. McGraw's albums have sold more than 40 million copies in the United States.
"Live Like You Were Dying" is McGraw's exhortation to people to squeeze the most out of every single moment. He sings it with such conviction and urgency that it practically brings a tear to the eye. It's a wise reminder not to wait until your days are numbered to enjoy them to the hilt. Inspiring and heartfelt without being weepy, McGraw has crafted a real beauty.
11. Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney does not have a Grammy, but he's snagged almost every other country music award. He recently notched a significant new milestone, Forbes reported. He's in the top ranks of country music artists.
"Take Her Home" (from his album Born) marks Chesney's sixty-first career top 10 hit on the Country Airplay chart. According to Billboard, he's now tied with George Strait for the most placements inside the highest tier on the radio list among all artists."
He's been a Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year four times, his albums go gold routinely, and his concert tours are awesome.
"There Goes My Life" describes a young man's dejection after learning he has gotten a girl pregnant. He foresees his dreams vanishing until he realizes what a precious miracle his child is. Chesney's emotion-laden voice and the delicate orchestration of this song will move you even if you never experienced unplanned fatherhood. The narrator's epiphany when he understands that he has been blessed, not thwarted, is oh-so-human.
12. Miranda Lambert
In 2022, Miranda Lambert was named to Time Magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People in the World. She has taken home an astonishing 35 Academy of Country Music Awards in various categories (for some of the awards, she was one of a group that won.)
Billboard has called her "country's most outspoken female artist of the 21st century." Her devil-may-care air of independence and individualism is appealing. As the Los Angeles Times put it, "...[S]he's more or less doing whatever she wants...."
"The House That Built Me" describes a woman's emotional return to her childhood home to revisit her cherished memories of growing up there. All her tender memories flood back. It's a nostalgic tearjerker that Lambert adorns with her lovely voice and sincere delivery. It will rekindle your own memories of the place where you lived as a kid. It got a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
13. Trisha Yearwood
The aching purity of Trisha Yearwood's vocals, the charm and warmth she brings to every song, and her ability to transport us into her world are all undeniable. She's won three Grammys (had 27 nominations), sold more than 13 million albums, recorded a debut album in 1991 that went platinum, and has membership in the Grand Ole Opry.
"Walkaway Joe" tells the story of a teenage girl who falls head-over-heels for a boy who's "the wrong kind of paradise." Sung with Don Henley, Yearwood's vocal mastery comes across compellingly. She's telling a story in the best country music tradition. The theme of heartache bred of foolish love, unrequited love, or lost love is a staple of country music, but when Yearwood handles it, she makes it sound wholly new, not clichéd.
14. Lainey Wilson
In the decade-plus since Lainey Wilson stormed onto the country music scene, she has become a "next generation icon" , been inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, been crowned Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, and had eight No. 1 songs.
In "Heart Like A Truck," Wilson is a footloose gal who issues no apologies for her ramblin' ways or her fortitude. With great lyrics ("Lord knows it's taken a hell of a beating / A little bit of love is all that it's needing / But it's good as it is tough / I got a heart like a truck...") and the passionate way she sings it, the song is a classic in the making for this exciting young artist.
15. Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire is one of the most highly respected, versatile superstars of country music. Her impeccable career encompasses 3 Grammys, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Billboard Music Award for Woman of the Year, a slew of other coveted industry accolades, and over 42 million albums sold.
"You Keep Me Hangin' On" was a powerful hit for The Supremes in 1967. Reba borrows it and puts her own distinctly country music spin on it with a little bit of a pop inflection. With a driving, danceable beat, she takes charge of the song, which has been covered by several artists over the years. Her version is a standout.
