Country music first sprang up in the rural Southern United States during the 1920’s, taking its roots from Western cowboy music and southeastern American folk music. Since then it has spread around the world, ascended to great popularity, and evolved in a variety of exciting directions. Here are some of the greatest country music artists ever to take the stage:

 

Johnny Cash, 1932 – 2003

Johnny Cash is considered one of the most influential country music starts of all time, creating and performing unforgettable songs that spanned many other genres as well (including gospel, blues, and folk). Some of his most famous must-hear songs include “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “Ring of Fire.” His music is known for its soulfulness and it frequently centers on themes of loss, redemption, and human struggle. He has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, won multiple Grammy’s, and has been decorated, with both a Kennedy Center Honor and a National Medal of Arts, among many other accolades. 

 

Hank Williams, 1923 – 1953

Hank Williams was a wildly popular singer-songwriter who continually rose to the top levels of the Billboard Country & Western Best Seller chart (with 11 of his songs ranking in the number one spot). He is considered by many to be a major founding figure in the country music genre, setting the bar stylistically for many country music artists that followed him. Some of his most beloved songs include “Hey, Good Lookin’,” “Why Don’t You Love Me,” and “Cold, Cold Heart,” His accolades include a Grammy, a special citation from the Pulitzer Prize board, and induction into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

 

Patsy Cline, 1932 – 1963

Patsy Cline was a celebrated country music singer who is considered one of the most influential female vocalists of the twentieth century. Though she died at the young age of thirty, she made her mark on the music world with her uniquely rich and striking contralto voice, and she is considered a pioneer when it comes to women appearing as headliners in the country music field. Some of her big hits as a singer include “I Fall to Pieces,” “She’s Got You,” and “Crazy.” Following her untimely death, millions of her records have been sold around the world, and she has received multiple accolades, including the distinction of being the first woman ever inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

 

Willie Nelson, 1933 – present

Willie Nelson is a country music singer-songwriter, poet, actor, and social activist. During the 1960’s, he became a leading figure in a burgeoning genre of country music known as Outlaw Country, which emphasized breaking away from the traditional restrictions of the dominant Nashville version of county music. He is known for his distinctive singing style and for writing songs that combine country music traditions with hybrids of jazz, pop, blues, and folk. His accolades include a Kennedy Center Honor, induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and AMA Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting.

 

Merle Haggard, 1937 – present

Merle Haggard is an acclaimed country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler, known for the innovative songwriting and performing style he achieved with his band “The Strangers.” Because he brought so many inventive nuances to the art of country music, he became aligned with the Outlaw Country movement during the 1970’s. He has sold millions of albums and had nearly 40 number one hits on the charts, including “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive,” “Everybody’s Had the Blues,” and “Okie from Muskogee.” He has won several Grammy Awards and multiple honors through the Academy of Country Music, and he has been decorated with a Kennedy Center Honor.