Then and Now Photos of Your Favorite Country Artists

When Wynonna Judd and Naomi Judd formed a country music duo in the first half of the 1980s, Wynonna Judd encouraged her daughter Ashley to begin singing alongside her mother. The fact that 14 of the singles from their debut album reached number one on the charts set the stage for the ladies to leave an indelible mark on the annals of country music history. Despite the fact that the band broke up less than a decade after their debut, Judd was able to parlay their popularity into a prosperous solo career. Even though she was one of the first couples to be eliminated from Dancing With the Stars in 2013, she still competed in the show that year. In 2016, she released a new album.

Although Keith Urban gives off the impression of being a typical American country boy, he actually has some roots in New Zealand. After moving from New Zealand to the United States, he quickly became a prominent figure in the country music scene. In more recent years, he has made guest appearances as a judge on popular reality shows like American Idol and The Voice. The beginning of his most recent tour, titled Rhythm and Roots, took place in 2016, and it was timed so that it would coincide with the release of his most recent single, a heartbreaking ballad titled “Blue Ain’t Your Color.”

LeAnn Rimes

When LeAnn Rimes won her first two Grammys in 1997, she was only 14 years old. This made her the youngest country star since Tanya Tucker in the 1970s when she was also just 14 years old. Even though her debut album, Blue, had only been available for purchase for a year at the time, it managed to capture the top spot on the Top Country Albums chart and was later certified as having sold multiple platinum copies.

LeAnn Rimes is still very successful as a musician, but in recent years she has also been publishing books. She has written two adult novels and two books geared toward children.

Brad Paisley

Who Needs Pictures, an album released by Brad Paisley in 1999, completely shook up the country music scene. Since the release of his first album, he has gone on to release a total of ten albums, all of which have received certifications of at least gold, if not higher. It only took him two years to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, an honor that many stars don’t achieve until they’ve been in the business for their entire careers.

Paisley served as the inspiration for several songs that were featured in the film Cars, which was produced by Pixar. Paisley shows no sign of slowing down, as his most recent album, Love and War, was released in April of this year.

Luke Bryan

Luke Bryan is another one of the artists on our list whose musical ability is significantly stronger than his sense of style, just like many of the others. It should come as no surprise that he got his start writing music for more famous artists before getting signed himself given that he possesses the angelic voice of an angel as well as an unrivaled knack for songwriting.

Since then, he has racked up more than seven million album sales across the globe. Bryan was invited to serve as a guest judge on The Voice in 2017, in addition to being selected to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in Houston, Texas.

Jake Owen

In 2006, Jake Owen, whose birth name was actually Joshua Ryan, was able to secure a recording contract with RCA Nashville. Jake Owen is a country music singer. It took him until later that year to release his debut album, which was titled Starting with Me; however, it was not until after another five years that he achieved the top spot on the country charts.

Barefoot Blue Jean Night is the name of the song. Even though he is still releasing new albums, such as 2016’s American Love (which he also produced), the fact that he recently went through a divorce has been what has kept him in the public eye.

Darius Rucker

Darius Rucker began his musical career as the lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish; however, he has since established himself as a successful solo artist in his own right. In the 1980s, when all four of them were students at the University of South Carolina, he first became acquainted with the other members of the band. Rucker parted ways with the band in 2008 after the members had spent the previous 22 years working together.

However, the decision was vindicated when Rucker became the first black artist to top the Hot Country Songs chart in 1983. Recently, Rucker performed at the County to Country festival that was held in Europe.

Lorrie Morgan

When she made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry when she was just 13 years old, Lorrie Morgan was living the dream of millions of people around the world. Her first single to reach number one on the charts was “Five Minutes,” which was issued in 1990. However, the record “Something in Red,” which she issued a year later, was the one that was ultimately certified platinum.

Over the years, Morgan has encountered a number of personal challenges, the culmination of which was her filing for bankruptcy in the year 2008. Thankfully, Morgan was able to successfully stage a comeback, and in 2016, she released an album titled Letting Go…Slowly.

Toby Keith

Toby Keith, who was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, made his first foray into the world of country music in 1993 with the release of the single “Should’ve Been A Cowboy.” The song was successful enough to reach the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Toby Keith decided that being a musician alone wasn’t enough for him, so he opened up his own bar and grill in Oklahoma City called Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill. Since then, both the bar and Keith’s other business endeavors have grown as a direct result of its popularity. By the year 2017, he had established himself as one of the wealthiest celebrities in the United States and earned the moniker “Country Music’s $500 Million Men.”

Josh Turner

Although Josh Turner has stated that in order to be considered a Christian singer, one does not necessarily need to sing gospel music, he has not been shy about discussing the impact that his faith has had on his music.

After signing a recording contract with MCA Nashville Records in 2003, Turner released his debut studio album, titled Long Black Train. But it was his second album, “Would You Go With Me,” that gave him his first number one hit, and “Your Man,” the title track of that album, gave him his second number one hit. Deep South is the title of his most recent studio album, which was released in March of 2017.

Vince Gill

Vince Gill may have begun his career in the 1970s as the lead singer of Pure Prairie League, a country-rock fusion band; however, in 1983 he went out on his own and hasn’t looked back since then. Over the course of his career, Gill has released over 20 albums, which together have sold over 26 million copies. He is now the proud recipient of 18 Country Music Awards.

Gill’s accomplishments do not end there; he has also won a record 21 Grammy awards, breaking the record for the most Grammys won by any other male country artist. These 21 Grammys set a new record for the number of awards that can be won in the country music genre.

Eric Church

After signing a contract with Capitol Nashville in 2005, Eric Church shot to prominence almost immediately afterward. Since the release of his first studio album, Sinners Like Me, in 2006, he has been successful in releasing a total of five albums.

In case you were wondering why Eric Church never performs without his sunglasses on, the answer is that he wears them to shield his contact lenses from the glare of the bright stage lights, which would otherwise cause them to dry out. This year marks the beginning of Church’s most recent tour, which is titled Holdin’ My Own, and it will take him all over the country to perform his songs.

Miranda Lambert

Miranda Lambert is another country star who was discovered among a group of other young hopefuls during the season of Nashville Star in 2003. The Texas native has developed into a skilled and accomplished musician despite the fact that she had just turned 19 years old when she finished in third place in the competition.

Her marriage to fellow country music artist Blake Shelton is counted among her other achievements, despite the fact that their marriage did not last for a very long time. She was able to transform her personal tragedy into professional success, making her debut in Europe for the very first time in the year 2016.

Hank Williams Jr.

Hank Williams Jr. was born and raised in the country music industry. Hank Williams Jr. was not one to be satisfied with being overshadowed by his famous father, and in 1975, he suffered a serious mountain climbing accident that almost completely derailed his career.

Hank Williams Jr. Williams Jr. was able to make a full recovery, which was fortunate for his career, and he went on to become a country music superstar in his own right as his music climbed the charts in the 1980s. Even more than four decades after the release of his first album, he is still putting out new music; his most recent album, It’s About Time, was released in 2016.

Blake Shelton

After his breakup with Miranda Lambert and subsequent engagement to the blonde bombshell Gwen Stefani, it’s possible that Blake Shelton’s personal life has been what’s been making the headlines lately. Miranda Lambert was his ex-girlfriend. But before he was the subject of celebrity rumors, he was just a young country boy trying to make it big when he released his first album in the year 2001.

Before that, he was just a regular country boy. Even more recently, he has served as a judge on the popular show The Voice ever since the show first aired in 2011, marking the beginning of the show’s current run.

Sara Evans

Even though Sara Evans was born in Missouri, she had no trouble adjusting to life in Nashville after moving there in 1991 and quickly signed a record deal with RCA Nashville. She did not remain with the label for a very long time, and she eventually signed with Sony Music Nashville. However, in August of 2016, she left Sony Music Nashville to sign with Concord Music Group.

During this time, Evans took a break from her career in music so that she could concentrate on raising her family with her husband, Jay Barker. She also made an appearance on Chrisley Knows Best in 2016, where she sang a duet with Todd Chrisley. Her appearance on that show was also in 2016.

Trace Adkins

Trace Adkins is almost never seen without his signature cowboy hat, but even when he is, he manages to make it look stylish. Dreaming Out Loud was Adkins’ first studio album, which he released in 1995 after signing a recording contract with Capitol Records Nashville and subsequently releasing the album. Since he first began his career 22 years ago, Adkins has continued to release albums, and he now has more than ten studio albums under his belt.

In addition to his work in the music industry, Adkins published his autobiography in 2007 under the title A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Free-Thinking Roughneck. His most recent studio album, titled Something’s Going On, was released in 2017.

Billy Ray Cirus

Billy Ray Cyrus has released a steady stream of albums since his early success in the 1990s when “Achy Breaky Heart” shot to the top of the charts. However, those who are not familiar with his career are likely to think of him as a “one-hit-wonder.”

But Cyrus wasn’t content to just stick to music; he has appeared in a number of television shows, most notably as Hannah Montana’s father, a role that was played by his more famous daughter, Miley. Billy Ray is still active in the acting world and was most recently spotted at the 2017 Video Music Awards wearing his trademark mullet.

Gary Allan

After signing a record deal with Decca Records in 1996, Gary Allan skyrocketed to the top of the country music scene. His album, Used Heart for Sale, was awarded gold certification for the single “Her Man,” which catapulted Allen into the spotlight almost immediately after its release.

Allen has released an additional eight albums, with a total of 26 singles that have been charted on the Billboard charts, including four number-one singles, one of which is “Man to Man.” His most recent album came out in 2013, and he is planning to release another one this year; however, the title of the new album has not been revealed just yet.

Rascal Flatts

Although Rascal Flatts may have begun their career as a country trio performing in Columbus, Ohio, in the late 1990s, it is safe to say that they have significantly evolved since then. Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus, who are both Gary’s second cousins, along with their mutual friend Joe Don Rooney make up the three-person group.

The band was signed after the release of their demo in the year 2000, and ever since then, they have dominated the country charts. Recently, in the wake of the release of their successful single “I Like the Sound of That,” they have been traveling across the country performing live.

Kacey Musgraves

Another artist who has appeared on the show Nashville Star is Kacey Lee Musgraves. However, by the time she appeared on the show, she had already released three albums under her own name. However, it took her several more years before she actually signed with her label, Mercury Nashville Records, despite the fact that she had placed seventh in the fifth season of the show.

The fact that Musgraves does not avoid the controversial subject matter, as do the majority of traditionalists in the country music industry, is one of the reasons her music is so notable within the genre. Musgraves and Rustin Kelly announced their engagement on the evening of Christmas Eve in 2016.

Kris Kristofferson

In the 1970s, when Kris Kristofferson was not only a major star in his own right but also such a prolific songwriter that he won almost all of the songwriter Grammys in 1972 on his own, he was at the height of his popularity as a country artist. Kristofferson is known for frequently relating anecdotes from the time he spent partying with fellow country legends such as Johnny Cash.

Although Kristofferson had planned another tour, it has been somewhat derailed by his fight against Lyme disease, which at 80 years old was first thought to be the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Kristofferson’s battle with Lyme disease has somewhat derailed his plans for another tour.

Jason Aldean

When Jason Aldean first started out as a musician, he would perform in nightclubs all over the Atlanta area. These performances eventually led to him signing a record deal with Broken Bow Records. Even though his relationship with Broken Bow didn’t last, it turned out to be for the best because Capitol Records gave him the opportunity to really blossom as an artist.

The songs “My Kinda Party,” “Night Train,” and “Burning It Down” are among his most well-known and successful hits. In 2016, Aldean went on the road with the Six String Circus national tour, and later that same year, the Academy of Country Music presented him with the Entertainer of the Year award.

Taylor Swift

It’s true that Taylor Swift has transitioned into more of a pop star over the past few years, but she wouldn’t have had a career at all if it weren’t for her early success with country music. After the release of “Teardrops on My Guitar” in 2007, Taylor Swift became the darling of the United States and amassed a large teen fanbase because her songs of teenage love and heartbreak were found to be relatable by these listeners.

Since then, Taylor’s public persona has undergone a variety of shifts and adjustments. Her most recent makeover occurred at the same time as the release of her most recent single, which was titled “Look What You Made Me Do.”

Alan Jackson

Alan Jackson’s rise from humble beginnings in the mailroom of The Nashville Network to the top of the music industry is the stuff of legend. His wife, Denise Jackson, was the one responsible for introducing him to various executives in the country music industry. Jackson became a recording artist in 1989 after signing a contract with Arista Nashville and has been active in the music industry ever since.

Jackson is a true pioneer in country music due to the fact that he has released over 16 albums and has sold over 80 million records. The news that Jackson would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame came in the year 2017 when the announcement was made.

Dierks Bentley

In 2003, Capitol Nashville became Dierks Bentley’s record label of choice, and the label was responsible for the release of his debut studio album. The following year, both of his albums were awarded the prestigious platinum certification. Over the course of his career, Bentley has gone through a number of different looks, but he has maintained his status as a hitmaker throughout the years.

More than 15 of his singles have reached the top spot on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. In 2010, Bentley released an album that was primarily bluegrass music; however, in 2016, he released an album that was unadulterated country music. Black.

Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw has had an enviable career in country music and is one-half of a country music power couple. It’s possible that his wife, Faith Hill, is the key to his success, with him having 14 records, nine headlining tours, and a number of acting roles under his belt.

In addition to Tim McGraw’s achievements as a country music performer, he has also appeared in films with Sandra Bullock, including The Blind Side and Friday Night Lights, both of which he co-starred. In 2017, McGraw made the decision to begin working with a new record label, Arista Nashville, which is a sub-label of Sony Music Nashville.

Tanya Tucker

Tanya Tucker is another well-known country artist who began her career when she was still a young teen. She made her first appearance on stage when she was around 13 years old. Due to the success of her single “Delta Dawn,” which peaked at number six on the country charts in 1972, Tucker was able to continue her career.

Tucker has been able to keep her fans interested in her music for more than 40 years, which is longer than the case for the majority of child stars, whose fan bases change as they age. Following the passing of Glen Campbell in August of 2009, Tucker continued her touring career and issued her debut single that same year.

Randy Travis

Since he began his career as a record producer in the 1980s, Randy Travis’s voice has captivated fans of country music all over the world. In addition to his six Grammy Awards and his six Country Music Awards, he has had 16 singles reach the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

This accomplishment is the icing on the cake for him. The baritone crooner Travis suffered a stroke in 2013, which was a tragedy for both Travis and his fans. However, with the help of a team of expert therapists, Travis was able to perform “Amazing Grace” for his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson was the very first person to win the title of American Idol, and ever since then, the American public has adored her. The young country singer dominated both the pop and country charts when she was only 20 years old. Since then, she has become a successful recording artist who has amassed over 100 number-one hits on the Billboard charts.

Despite the fact that she has dabbled in a number of different musical genres, including pop and rock, Kelly Clarkson’s origins are in country music. This coming October, she is planning to release her most recent album, titled Meaning of Life.

Kenny Rogers

Even though he has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and has been a country music star for more than 60 years, Kenny Rogers is still actively performing and touring. Rogers, who has sold more than 100 million albums throughout his career, toyed with the idea of calling it quits in 2015, but he just couldn’t shake the allure of the stage.

Rogers has gone through his fair share of marriages, which amounts to a total of five, and he has had children with the majority of his wives. This is similar to Wille Nelson, another legendary country artist.

Carrie Underwood

When she won the fourth season of American Idol, Carrie Underwood may have been a girl from a small town in Oklahoma, but now she is a legitimate superstar in the country music industry.

She has received a large number of awards, including 7 Grammys, 17 Billboard Music Awards, and 11 American Music Awards, in addition to having over 65 million records sold worldwide. In point of fact, it would appear that Carrie “reigns” as the queen of the land.

Clint Black

Killin’ Time, Clint Black’s debut studio album, was released in 1989 and was an immediate success, with five singles reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The album was titled “Killin’ Time.”

Black was not content to limit himself to a single talent and made the transition into acting with a leading role in the film Still Holding On: The Legend of Cadillac Jack, which was released in 1998. Black took a hiatus from performing in the early 2000s so that he could concentrate on his family. He returned to the stage in 2013 and released his most recent album the following year (2015).

Trisha Yearwood

Trisha Yearwood’s country music career began to take off in the early 1990s when she began to establish a name for herself with the help of songs that were focused on women. Even though she is best known for her music, Yearwood has been something of a jack of all trades thanks to her marriage to another great in the country music genre, Garth Brooks.

Trisha is an author, singer, actress, and even a chef, and since 2012, she has been the host of Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, a cooking show that has won an Emmy Award and airs on Food Network. In 2016, she was a cast member in the live television production of the musical The Passion.

Alison Krauss

Alison Krauss is one of the very few in her field who has carved out a career that is more bluegrass-oriented than it is country-oriented. This sets her apart from the majority of her contemporaries. Her first record was released when she was only 14 years old, demonstrating her abilities as a virtuoso in the genre when she was just beginning her career.

In addition to a number of other awards in the country music genre, Krauss’s talent has earned her a total of 27 Grammys. Her songs became so popular that they were used in the movies “O Brother, Where Art Thou” and “Cold Mountain.” In February of 2017, she disseminated her most recent album, which was titled Windy City.

Patty Loveless

Patty Loveless’s first album, which was simply titled Patty Loveless, was released in the 1980s, and ever since then, her popularity has remained consistent. Her career didn’t really take off until ten years later when she began successfully releasing single after single that charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. During this period, she was at the height of her professional success.

Loveless has entered a period of semi-retirement from her performing career, and she now only makes infrequent appearances at the Grand Ole Opry and on country music cruises. She has stated that she would rather focus her energy on spending time with her husband and children.

George Strait

George Strait, who was born in Texas and began his career in country music thirty years ago, doesn’t appear to have changed much over that time. Strait, who is a cowboy at heart, is known as the “King of Country” because he has more number one hits on various charts (over 60 to date), more than any other artist in any musical genre.

This has earned him the title. The fact that George Strait has released more than 28 albums demonstrates unequivocally that he is deserving of his title. The first of Strait’s grandchildren were born in 2012, and the baby was given the famous grandfather’s name. The year 2015 saw the release of his most recent album, titled Cold Beer Conversations.

Rhett Akins

In 1995, Rhett Akins released the single “That Ain’t My Truck,” which went on to reach the number three position on the Billboard Country Charts. This was the beginning of Rhett Akins’ meteoric rise to fame in Nashville. Akins’s initial album, titled A Thousand Memories, featured a number of other hits, which cemented his status as a country music superstar.

Akins is still active and has been writing hit songs for other country artists, including Chris Young’s “I Can Take It From There” and Blake Shelton’s “Boys ‘Round Here.” Akins also has co-writing credits on “I Can Take It From There,” which was recorded by Chris Young.

Ty Herndon

After its release in 1995, “What Mattered Most,” Ty Herndon’s first single, shot straight to the top of the Billboard charts, putting the singer-songwriter firmly on the music scene. During the intervening years, Herndon has continued to release a number of other songs that have become hits.

During the press tour that followed the release of his album Lies I Told Myself in 2013, Herndon revealed his sexual orientation to the public for the first time. He also stated that both of his previous wives were aware of his preferences. His most recent studio album, titled House on Fire, was released in the year 2016.

Ricky Van Shelton

Ricky Van Shelton may have left the stage for good, but not before having a very successful career there. Since the beginning of 1986, he has released more than twenty singles that have made it onto the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including ten songs that have made it all the way to number one on the chart.

The songs “Somebody Lied,” “Life Turned Her That Way,” and “Don’t We All Have the Right” are among his most famous hits. In May 2006, 20 years after his first performance, Shelton made the announcement that he would be retiring. Since then, he has been concentrating on tending to the needs of his family.

Bryan White

Bryan White left the plains of Oklahoma to pursue a career in country music in Nashville, Tennessee, after moving there from those same plains. Asylum Records gave him a recording contract when he was only 20 years old, and he released his debut album later that same year under his own name.

The album eventually earned platinum certification. White went through a difficult time in the middle of the 2000s as a result of his early stardom, which required him to take some time off from music to heal. However, in 2012, he was back at it, with a Kickstarter campaign to fund a new album. His early stardom caused him to go through this difficult time.

Deana Carter

Deana Carter’s father, Fred Carter Jr., was an accomplished guitarist, so it’s safe to say that music runs in the family. Did I Shave My Legs For This? is the title of her debut studio album, which was released in 1996. due to the overwhelming amount of success it achieved, it was awarded five platinum certifications.

In spite of the fact that her father was famous, she had a hard time breaking into the music industry, and it wasn’t until she caught Willie Nelson’s attention that she was able to secure a record deal. She established her own record label in 2013, and it was under that label that she released her most recent album.

John Michael Montgomery

Atlantic Records made the discovery of John Michael Montgomery in the early 1990s and was responsible for the recording and release of his debut studio album, titled Life’s a Dance. When Montgomery was only five years old, his musician father encouraged him to start learning guitar.

This was the beginning of Montgomery’s love of music. Montgomery isn’t ready to leave the country world just yet, despite the fact that his most recent album was released in 2008, which is over nine years ago. He has been spending his time touring the country over the past year, and he doesn’t plan on quitting just yet.

Dwight Yoakam

Dwight Yoakam began his career as a performer at a time when Nashville was in the midst of a pop-country phase. Yoakam, however, was undeterred by this and eventually helped to usher in the neo-traditional country renaissance. Even though he experimented with a variety of musical genres in his earlier years, he has always been best known for his work as a country musician.

In fact, he has more than 30 singles that have charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Additionally, he holds the record for being the musician who has appeared on The Tonight Show the most frequently. A bluegrass album with the title Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars was released by him in the year 2016.

Clay Walker

Clay Walker did not allow the fact that he had been given a grim prognosis of progressive multiple sclerosis early on in his career to preventing him from pursuing his goals and achieving his goals. In 1992, he made his debut as a recording artist by releasing his debut single after signing his first record deal with Giant Records.

In 1993, “What’s It To You” was the song that led Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart to its victory. His most recent album, which he released in 2014 and titled Best of, was a compilation album, and it was his very first one. A prior album of his, titled She Won’t Be Lonely Long, was released in the year 2010 by the artist.

Gretchen Wilson

Gretchen Wilson accomplished the unthinkable when the first single from her debut album, Here for the Party, debuted at number one and went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Wilson’s next single, which was taken from her second album and titled “Redneck Woman,” became the highest-debuting single ever by a female country vocalist, following in the footsteps of her previous hit single.

It is difficult to keep up that level of consistent success, but Wilson is cranking out the tracks. This year saw the release of her most recent album, titled Ready to Get Rowdy.

Neal McCoy

It’s possible that Neal McCoy’s debut album helped him earn a spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart by the year 1988, but it wasn’t until 1992 that he released “Where Forever Begins” that he managed to break into the Top 40 with a single.

His hopes and dreams were finally realized the following year when two singles in a row finally reached number one. Both of these singles were taken from the album No Doubt About It, which went on to be certified platinum. More than ten albums in total have been released by McCoy, the most recent of which was a compilation album that was released this year.

Pam Tillis

Another musician who comes from a musical family is Pam Tillis, whose famous father Mel Tillis was a country music star in his own right. Pam got a head start on her performance career thanks to the fact that one of her parents was already well-known. She began her career when she was just eight years old.

However, she didn’t release her first single until she was 24 years old and it was titled “Every Home Should Have One.” Her most successful musical years were in the 1980s and 1990s, but she did not become a member of the Grand Ole Opry until the year 2000. She has recently appeared on multiple episodes of Nashville playing herself, and these episodes aired relatively recently.

Collin Raye

When Collin Raye first entered the entertainment industry, he did so under the alias Bubba Wray. Between the years 1983 and 1987, he recorded music under the name Bubba Wray with his band, The Wrays. When he left the band to pursue a career as a solo artist in 1991, he changed his stage name to reflect the change.

Raye made the right decision when he decided to release the single “Love Me” from his album “All I Can Be.” The song eventually became his first number-one hit. 2014 saw the release of both his most recent studio album, Everlasting, as well as his autobiography, which was titled A Voice Undefeated.

Donna Fargo

In the 1970s, Donna Fargo was a well-known figure in the country music industry. She was responsible for the creation of a number of hits that went on to win various awards and were popular with listeners who enjoyed pop music as well as the country.

In the late 1970s, Fargo was given a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, which had a negative impact on her health and forced her to take a break from her music for a while. Despite the fact that she published an album in 2008, she has spent the majority of her time and energy on other business endeavors in recent years, such as creating a line of greeting cards and writing several books.

Anne Murray

Before Shania, there was another Canadian country singer who paved the way to the top of the country charts in the United States. She was the first Canadian female solo artist to ever reach number one on an American music chart.

Murray continued to make history when, in 1984, she was awarded Album of the Year, becoming not only the first woman but also the first Canadian to receive the honor. Icon: Christmas, the Christmas album that Murray released as his final studio album in 2014, was titled simply Icon: Christmas.

Faith Hill

Since making her debut in country music in 1993 with the album Take Me As I Am, which went on to sell over 3 million copies, Faith Hill has become an indispensable figure in the genre. Hill is yet another musician who has interests outside of the realm of music; in October 2009, she launched a fragrance line under her own brand name.

The collection features both her debut fragrance, Faith Hill Parfums, as well as True. Soul2Soul: The World Tour is the name of the joint tour that Hill and her husband Tim McGraw are currently on the road for. They launched the tour in April in New Orleans, and it is still going strong.

Kenny Chesney

Although Kenny Chesney has been performing since the early 1990s, his popularity has skyrocketed since he made his first album. Over the course of his career, he has put out more than 20 albums, the vast majority of which have achieved at least the status of gold certification, if not higher.

In addition to having close to thirty singles debut at number one on the country charts, he has enjoyed considerable success with many of his songs making the transition to the pop charts. His most recent studio album, titled Cosmic Hallelujah, was released in 2016, and it featured a collaboration with the American pop singer P!NK.

Chris Young

Although Chris Young is originally from Tennessee, he made his way to fame by competing on the reality show Nashville Star. His audition for the show took place in Houston, Texas, despite the fact that he lives in Tennessee. He was successful in winning the competition, and as a result, he was offered a recording contract with RCA Records Nashville.

His first single, “Drinkin’ Me Lonely” was released following his win in 2006 and made it to number 42 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Young was recently inducted into the Grand Ole Opry despite the fact that he has only been working in the industry for close to ten years.

Crystal Gayle

Crystal Gayle made the decision to pursue a career in country music after seeing her sister, Loretta Lynn, achieve success in the genre. She is yet another musician who was successful in establishing a career for herself as a crossover pop-country artist in the 1970s and 1980s.

During that time period, she was able to release no less than 20 songs that reached number one on the charts. Gayle was the first female vocalist to have a record earn platinum certification for sales, despite the fact that her sister may have a slightly larger public profile. In 2016, Gayle was honored by being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.

Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson has been active in the music industry for a longer period of time than most, as evidenced by his extensive discography. Even though he had a difficult time gaining a foothold in the industry early on, the passion for music that was instilled in him by his family helped him persevere.

This love of music pulled him through, even as he transitioned from one career to the next before finding success. Since then, he has released over 68 albums, appeared in several films, and begun a number of different business ventures, one of which is his own biodiesel fuel company. In 2017, he published a book titled God’s Problem Child.

Reba McEntire

The fiery country star, who is known for her famous auburn hair, has been performing for a considerable amount of time. After gaining notoriety as a country singer, she was able to secure a role in a sitcom that bore her name in the early 2000s. The show aired for a total of seven seasons before it was canceled in the year 2007.

Currently, Reba McEntire can be seen serving as a special guest judge on America’s Got Talent. However, she will soon be making her return to scripted television with a starring role as Ruby Adair in the upcoming ABC show Bluegrass Blood Red.

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton has been able to maintain her prominence in the country music industry for more than half a century. She came from modest beginnings on a tobacco farm, but ever since the release of her first album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1965, she has been known as the “sweetheart” of country music. She has not only contributed her talents to the world of music, but also to the worlds of film, television, and even Broadway.

Parton is a multitalented artist. However, she is not only a creative professional. In 2016, she volunteered her time to assist with the staffing of a telethon that was held to raise money for the relief efforts following the wildfires in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Shania Twain

Even though Shania Twain was born in Canada, she has managed to become the queen of country pop despite this fact. She is the female country artist who has sold the most records in history, which is over 85 million, making her the best-selling female country artist of all time and one of the best-selling artists of all time.

Her second studio album, titled The Woman in Me and released in 1995, was the one that propelled her to the forefront of the music industry. Her most recent accomplishments include the release of a new album in May of this year titled Triumphant and her participation in the Stagecoach Festival in April of this year.

The Dixie Chicks

In spite of the fact that we would prefer to forget the Dixie Chicks’ fashion choices from the early days of their fame, their musical talent was sufficient to carry them through. Emily Erwin Robison and Martie Erwin Maguire, who were both founding members of the all-female country trio, are still a part of it.

Natalie Maines takes the lead vocals for the group. Even though they started out as a bluegrass band in Dallas, their popularity has grown to the point where they regularly play to sold-out crowds in stadiums and continue to tour internationally. They surpassed all other all-female bands in terms of sales in the United States in the year 2015.

Martina McBride

Martina McBride burst onto the country music scene in 1991 after being signed to a record deal by RCA Records. Due to the sheer breadth of her vocal range, she has been dubbed the “Celine Dion of country music.” McBride’s debut single, titled “The Time Has Come,” was released the following year, and since then, she hasn’t looked back.

It is surprising that the country star has also been able to devote significant amounts of time to working with the National Network to End Domestic Violence and the National Domestic Violence Hotline despite the fact that she has won a total of 14 Grammy Awards in the past.

Emmylou Harris

Before becoming a prominent figure in the country music industry, Emmylou Harris made her debut in the 1960s in Greenwich Village as a folk singer. Later in her career, she became known for her work in country music. She has been honored with a total of 13 Grammy Awards throughout the course of her career, in addition to a number of other accolades for her country hits.

She is a master collaborator as well as a singer-songwriter in her own right, and she has worked with a number of the most well-known names in country music, such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton. A concert honoring Harris was organized by several of her close friends the following year (2016).

Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton was born and raised in Kentucky, but as an adult, he relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, in order to pursue his goals in the music industry. When Stapleton was first starting out in the music industry, he did most of his work in the background, primarily serving as a songwriter for other artists. In spite of this, he was prepared to step into the limelight by the year 2007.

The majority of his professional life was spent at the front of various bands, ranging from the bluegrass-influenced The Steeldrivers to his Southern rock group, The Jompson Brothers. Since 2015, Stapleton has been pursuing his career as a solo artist, though he did work with Justin Timberlake on the latter’s most recent album.

Maren Morris

Maren, who exhibited prodigious talent from a very young age, launched her career as a professional musician in 2005 when she was only 15 years old. In spite of her promise, her music did not receive much attention over the course of the majority of the following decade, despite the fact that she released two more albums during that time period.

By the year 2015, Morris’s independently released EP had begun to gain traction on Spotify, which led to her landing a deal with Columbia Nashville. In 2017, Morris won her first four Grammy Awards, and she followed that success up by embarking on her HERO tour.

Kelsea Ballerini

Kelsea Ballerini may be considered a newcomer to the field of country music; despite this, however, she is not to be taken lightly by her peers in the industry. Ballerini was given a recording contract for the first time when she was only 19 years old, not long after she had dropped out of college to focus entirely on her music career.

Her first single was a huge success, propelling it all the way to the top of the charts, making her the first artist to accomplish this feat since Carrie Underwood in 2006. At the beginning of November 2017, Kelsea released her second studio album titled “Unapologetically.”

Connie Smith

Since she began her career in the 1960s, Connie Smith’s incredible voice has developed into its own legend in the music industry. Her success in the country music genre can compete with the best of her contemporaries, despite the fact that she does not have the crossover appeal of many of her fellow country musicians.

She has received 11 Grammy nominations in addition to having over 20 singles that peaked in the top ten on the Billboard country charts. She has had 31 albums chart, with three of those albums reaching number one on the charts. 2011 saw the release of Connie’s most recent studio album.

Loretta Lynn

The fact that Loretta Lynn has been active in the country music industry for such a long time makes her something of a living legend in the field. She is the only female country artist to have ever been honored as the Academy of Country Music’s Artist of the Decade for the 1970s, and she currently holds the record for the most awards ever won by a female country artist.

The Presidential Medal of Honor was bestowed upon Lynn in the year 2013, by President Barack Obama. Willie Nelson and Elvis Costello are just two of the legendary musicians who appear on her most recent album, which was released in March of 2016.

Lee Ann Womack

It’s true that “I Hope You Dance” is the song that brought Lee Ann Womack the most fame, but that doesn’t mean the blue-eyed beauty is just a “one-hit-wonder.” Even though she dabbled in the pop side of music for a few years, she eventually made her way back to her country roots with the release of her album There’s More Where That Came From in the year 2005.

Lee Ann has sold more than 6 million albums all over the world, and she is not done yet; her newest album, The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone, is about to be released very soon.

Garth Brooks

Willie Nelson might have the most albums out of all of the artists on our list, but Garth Brooks appears to be the most successful financially. It is estimated that he has a net worth of somewhere in the neighborhood of $70 million, and according to the Recording Industry Association of America, he is second only to Elvis Presley in terms of the number of records that have been sold, with nearly 134 million albums sold internationally.

During the eight years that Brooks took away from the music industry, he was married to singer Trisha Yearwood. In 2014, he made his comeback by touring with Yearwood. His most recent album, titled Gunslinger, was released the year before last.

Barbara Mandrell & The Mandrell Sisters

The nickname “Sweetheart of Steel” was bestowed upon Barbara Mandrell for a very good reason. Her mastery of the pedal steel guitar, which she began playing when she was just 11 years old, has brought her acclaim. After receiving musical instruction from their parents, Barbara and her sisters eventually formed a family band with their parents, which became known as the Mandrell Family Band and traveled throughout the United States for a period of time.

Mandrell was able to make a full recovery after being involved in a serious car accident in 1984, which nearly derailed her career. Despite this, she made the decision to retire from the music industry in 1997.