BEST COUNTRY SINGERS
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George Harvey Strait Sr. is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait's success began when his first single "Unwound" was a hit in 1981, signaling the arrival of the Neotraditional movement. During the 1980s, seven of his albums reached number one on the country charts. In the 2000s, Strait was named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music, elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and won his first Grammy award for the album Troubadour. Strait was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 2013, and ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014. He has been nominated for more CMA and ACM awards and has more wins in both categories than any other artist.Born in Texas in 1952, country singer George Strait began performing in a band while serving in the U.S. Army. He landed a recording contract in the 1980s with MCA records and produced numerous hit albums throughout the next three decades. Known for staying true to traditional country sound, he has won multiple awards and has the biggest-selling boxed set in country music history.- Music Artist
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This versatile, eclectic, rather wanderlust country crossover star known for his classic ballads ("Always On My Mind"), autobiographical road songs ("On the Road Again") and catchy rhythms ("Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys") started out life as Willie Hugh Nelson on April 30, 1933, in Depression-era Abbot, Texas. He is the son of Myrle Marie (Greenhaw) and Ira Doyle Nelson, a mechanic. After his parents got divorced, in which his mother moved to Oregon and his father remarried, he and sister Bobbie Lee were raised by their gospel-singing paternal grandparents, who introduced them to music. Working in the cotton fields, Willie was handed his first guitar at age six and within a short time was writing woeful country songs and playing in polka bands.
During his teenage years he played at high school dances and honky-tonks. He also worked for a local radio station and by graduation time he had become a DJ with his own radio show. Briefly serving a stint with the Air Force (discharged because of a bad back, which would plague him throughout his life), he sold his first song called "No Place For Me" while getting by with menial jobs as a janitor and door-to-door Bible salesman. Married in 1952 to a full-blooded Cherokee, he and first wife Martha had two children.
Willie initially came to be known in Nashville for selling his songs to well-established country artists such as Patsy Cline ("Crazy"), Faron Young ("Hello Walls") and Ray Price ("Night Life"). In 1962 he recorded a successful duet with singer Shirley Collie, whom he would later take as his second wife, but his career didn't progress despite joining the Grand 'Ol Opry. In the early 1970s, after extensive touring with his band (which included sister Bobbie on the piano) and experiencing a number of career downswings, he started performing and recording his own songs instead of selling them to others. Two of his albums, "Shotgun Willie" and "Phases and Stages", helped him gain some stature. In 1975 it all came together with the album "Red-Headed Stranger", which would become the top-selling country music album in history and propel him into the country music stratosphere. His offbeat phrasing, distinctive nasal tones and leathery, bewhiskered hippie-styled looks set a new standard for "outlaw" country music.
Around 1978 Willie showed himself to be a loose and natural presence in front of the camera, thus launching a film career. He had roles in several movies, his first opposite Robert Redford and Jane Fonda in The Electric Horseman (1979). His took to leading roles as a country music star in Honeysuckle Rose (1980), which would include a number of his songs on the soundtrack. He played opposite James Caan and Tuesday Weld in Thief (1981) and a legendary outlaw in the western Barbarosa (1982). In the movie Red Headed Stranger (1986), which was adapted from his hit 1975 album, he played a preacher, and he teamed up with pal Kris Kristofferson as a pair of country singers in Songwriter (1984).
Willie and pal Kristofferson went on to form The Highwaymen with the late Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings and he successfully recorded and toured with the group for a number of years. They also teamed up to remake the classic western Stagecoach (1939) as a TV movie (Stagecoach (1986)). As a unique song stylist, the bearded, braided-haired, bandanna-wearing non-conformist took a number of non-country standards and made them his own, including Elvis Presley's "You Were Always on My Mind" and Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind."
Broaching the millennium, Willie continued to be active with film credits that would include roles in the westerns Dust to Dust (1994) and The Journeyman (2001), in addition to roles in such non-westerns as the sci-fi drama Starlight (1996); the comedy capers Gone Fishin' (1997), The Big Bounce (2004) and The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) (an updated screen version of the popular TV show); the action thriller Fighting with Anger (2007); the comedy Surfer, Dude (2008); the family dramedy Angels Sing (2013); the music fantasy Paradox (2018) which starred Neil Young and his sons Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson; the dramatic fantasy Waiting for the Miracle to Come (2018); and Willie and Me (2023), a comedy chronicling the misadventures of a young German girl coming to America to see her idol Willie.
Willie happily married fourth wife Ann-Marie in 1991 and has survived more hard times in recent years, including a $16.7-million debt to the IRS and the suicide of one of his sons, Billy. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, Nelson received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998.Willie Nelson was born on April 30, 1933, in Abbott, Texas. Nelson rose to prominence at the end of the 1960s and contributed to the “outlaw country” subgenre, which challenged the conservatism of Nashville. Nelson has written some of the most popular country songs of all time, including the hit song “Crazy.” He is also well known for his financial troubles and for his activism.- Music Artist
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Alan Jackson was born on 17 October 1958 in Newnan, Georgia, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for I Am Number Four (2011), Unstoppable (2010) and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007). He has been married to Denise Jackson since 15 December 1979. They have three children.Country singer Alan Jackson was born on Oct. 17, 1958. in Newnan, Georgia. He married his high school sweetheart, Denise, in 1979 and they are still together today with three daughters. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue music. His debut album,- Music Artist
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Randall Hank Williams was born the son of the legendary Hank Williams and Audrey Williams. After the death of his father in 1953, Hank Jr. began his career in country music. The early years of his career were spent trying to overcome the legacy of his father and come into his own. This did not happen until the 1980s when he became one of country music's top performers, selling millions of albums and winning the title of Entertainer of the Year five consecutive times.Born on May 26, 1949, in Shreveport, Louisiana, Hank Williams Jr. was performing Hank Sr.'s songs on stage at age 8. In the 1970s, he created his own musical identity, combining country with Southern rock and blues. Williams was severely injured in a mountain-climbing accident, but in the 1980s he shot to stardom with several multi-platinum albums, going on to become a legend on his own terms.- Music Artist
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Randy Travis was born on 4 May 1959 in Marshville, North Carolina, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Deep Impact (1998), The Rainmaker (1997) and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007). He has been married to Mary Davis Travis since 21 March 2015. He was previously married to Elizabeth Hatcher-Travis.American country singer Randy Travis is best known for opening the door to young artists who sought to return to the traditional sound of country music. He was discovered by Elizabeth Hatcher when he was 18 and fought hard to make a name for himself. He found his stride in 1986 with a No. 1 album, Storms of Life. He went on to win a Grammy and sell millions of copies of subsequent albums.- Music Artist
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Johnny Cash was born February 26, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas, to Carrie Cash (Rivers) and Raymond Cash. He made his first single, "Hey Porter", for Sun Records in 1955. In 1958 he moved to Columbia Records. He had long periods of drug abuse during the 1960s, but later that decade he successfully fought his addiction with the help of singer June Carter Cash, whom he married in 1968. In 1971 he appeared in the western A Gunfight (1971) with 'Kirk Douglas (I)'. Cash made only a few films, but quite a few appearances on television, both in series and made-for-TV films, and was especially effective as a rural Southern sheriff in the 1930s determined to bring to justice a wealthy landowner who committed murder because he believed he was above the law in Murder in Coweta County (1983), a drama based on a true story. In 1975 Cash wrote his autobiography, "Man In Black", which is now out of print. In the late 1980s he moved from Columbia Records to Mercury, then in the next decade moved again to American Recordings. Amongst his biggest hit records were "I Walk the Line", "Ring of Fire" and "A Boy Named Sue". After several years of ill health, he died of complications from diabetes on 12 September 2003, only a few months after the death of his beloved wife.Singer-songwriter Johnny Cash was born February 26, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas. In 1950, Cash joined the Air Force and trained in Texas where he met his first wife. After his service and discharge, he formed a band and landed a record deal. By the early 1960s, he was a musical superstar. In 1967, he married June Carter. He recorded his last track of his final album a week before his death in 2003.- Music Artist
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Blake Shelton was born on 18 June 1976 in Ada, Oklahoma, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for The Ridiculous 6 (2015), The Do-Over (2016) and Footloose (2011). He has been married to Gwen Stefani since 3 July 2021. He was previously married to Miranda Lambert and Kaynette Gern.Born in Ada, Oklahoma, on June 18, 1976, Blake Shelton moved to Nashville when he was 17 to become a country music songwriter, and by 2001, he was a star in his own right with the No. 1 hit "Austin." Success followed Shelton for the next several years, right onto the coaching/judging panel of TV's The Voice in 2011. In 2013, Shelton released his eighth studio album, Based on a True Story..., and entered his fourth season as a coach on The Voice.- Music Artist
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Jason Aldean was born on 28 February 1977 in Macon, Georgia, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Patriots Day (2016), Jason Aldean: Amarillo Sky (2006) and Jason Aldean - Tattoos on This Town (2011). He has been married to Brittany Kerr Aldean since 21 March 2015. They have two children. He was previously married to Jessica Ussery.Jason Aldean (born Jason Aldine Williams on February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer. Since 2005, Aldean has recorded for Broken Bow Records, an independent record label for which he has released five albums and sixteen singles. His 2010 album My Kinda Party is certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while his 2005 self-titled debut, 2007 album Relentless and 2009 album Wide Open are all certified platinum. Of his singles, nine have reached the number one position on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Why", "She's Country", "Big Green Tractor", "The Truth", "Don't You Wanna Stay" (a duet with Kelly Clarkson), "Dirt Road Anthem", "Fly Over States", "Take a Little Ride", and "The Only Way I Know". Seven more have reached top ten on the same chart.- Music Artist
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Trace Adkins' trademark baritone has powered countless hits to the top of the charts and turned albums into Platinum plaques, selling over 10 million albums, cumulatively. The Grammy-nominated member of the Grand Ole Opry is a television personality, actor, author, spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Program, the American Red Cross and has performed seven USO Tours.
Adkins was born in Louisiana, to Peggy (Carraway) and Aaron Doyle Adkins, a mill worker. In his 2007 autobiography, A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Roughneck, the 6'6" oil-rigger recounted his rise to fame, brushes with death, and battles with personal demons. He also explains just how the world's biggest alpha-male handles fatherhood with five daughters. In 2008, Trace's integrity and wry humor served him well as a finalist on NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice and prepared him for his return - on behalf of the American Red Cross - to NBC's All-Star Celebrity Apprentice (Sunday nights, 9PM EST/PT).
Trace has played a tough as nails biker in The Lincoln Lawyer (starring Matthew McConaughey), he developed and hosted GAC's "Great American Heroes" series to pay tribute to every-day Americans doing great things and he has hosted the American Country Awards on FOX for three consecutive years.
In 2011, Trace last album, Proud To Be Here debuted atop the Billboard Country Chart powered by the Top Ten hit, "Just Fishin'," and his eleventh studio album, Love Will... is planned for release in the Spring of 2013 on Show Dog-Universal Music.Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins (born January 13, 1962) is an American country music artist and actor. He made his debut in 1995 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations. In addition, he has charted more than 20 singles on the Billboard country music charts, including the Number One hits "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing", "Ladies Love Country Boys", and "You're Gonna Miss This", which peaked in 1997, 2007, and 2008, respectively. "I Left Something Turned on at Home" went to No. 1 on Canada's country chart. All but one of his studio albums have received gold or platinum certification in the United States; his highest-selling to date is 2005's Songs About Me, which has been certified 2× Multi-Platinum for shipping two million copies.- Music Artist
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Dierks Bentley was born on 20 November 1975 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Only the Brave (2017), Dierks Bentley: Drunk on a Plane (2014) and The Wire (2002). He has been married to Cassidy Black since 17 December 2005. They have three children.Dierks Bentley released his self-titled debut album in 2003, and the album's single, "What Was I Thinkin'?" topped the country charts. His 2005 effort, Modern Day Drifter, also went platinum. Bentley became the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry when he was inducted on October 1, 2005m and that year, he won the CMA Horizon Award. His first DVD, The Dierks Bentley Experience, was filmed in 2006- Actor
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Grammy-nominated Country singer/songwriter Chris Young was born Christopher Alan Young in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. With music in his family (his grandfather Richard Yates was a performer in the Louisiana Hayride), young Chris showed interest in it by performing in different children's theater productions and, while attending High School, started performing in local clubs. Once in college, Chris continued touring, getting to perform over 150 shows a year. At a gig in Arlington, Texas, he was approached by a fan who encouraged him to try out for country music reality show, Nashville Star. Chris auditioned in Houston, Texas, entered the show and was declared the winner in 2006. Thus followed signing with RCA Records Nashville and releasing his self-titled debut album in 2006. His first single, "Drinkin' Me Lonely", peaked at #42 in the Billboard Hot Country songs chart, and later hit #1. Chris' second album, "The Man I Want To Be", was released in 2009. His singles "Voices", "The Man I Want To Be" and "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)" all hit #1. His latest single, "Tomorrow", from his future 2011 album "Neon", was released in February 2011 and, in its first week, hit the Billboard Hot Country chart at #58.The grandson of onetime Louisiana Hayride performer Richard Yates, country singer/songwriter Chris Young hails from Murfreesboro, TN, and first drew the public's attention when he appeared on the Nashville Star- Music Artist
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Carrie Underwood was born on 10 March 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. She is a music artist and actress, known for Soul Surfer (2011), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) and How I Met Your Mother (2005). She has been married to Mike Fisher since 10 July 2010. They have two children.Born March 10, 1983, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Carrie Underwood had put aside her singing dreams for a degree in broadcast journalism, but everything changed when she auditioned for American Idol during her senior year. She was the winner of the show's fourth season and went on to win multiple Grammy and Academy of Country Music awards. She is also currently the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry.- Music Artist
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Born July 8, 1961, Toby Keith Covel was the second child of Joan and Hubert Keith ("H. K.") Covel. He was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, and grew up with his brother Tracy and sister Tonnie in Moore, Oklahoma. After graduating from Moore High School, he didn't go on to college, but went to work in the Oklahoma oil fields with his father. He later met and married Tricia Lucas, whose child, Shelley Reeve, he adopted. He later had two children with Tricia -- daughter Krystal (born 1985, married in 2011) and son Stelen (born in 1997).
When Krystal was born, the Oklahoma oil industry had collapsed; leaving Toby, Tricia, and their two daughters in financial troubles. Touring with his band, the Easy Money Band, he got them all out of debt. After signing a deal at Mercury Records, his debut album "Toby Keith", which contained his first chart topper, "Should've Been a Cowboy", finally established him as a professional singer-songwriter. He then left Mercury for a period of three years. Coming back in 1997, he released his final studio album for Mercury, "Dream Walkin".
A year after his first Greatest Hits compilation came out from Mercury, he and producer James Stroud, left the label. He then signed a deal with DreamWorks Records, headed by his producer. Since releasing his fifth album, "How Do You Like Me Now?!", and its title track (written by Toby and Chuck Cannon); the then-DreamWorks, now-Showdog Tunes-signed singer and BMI-affiliated songwriter saw success like never before.
That success can be measured with at least five more studio albums since "How Do You Like Me Now?", more #1 singles, Academy of Country Music Awards (including two "Entertainer of the Year" awards) and other kinds of awards, and another Greatest Hits compilation (including songs from albums "How Do You Like Me Now?", "Pull My Chain", and "Unleashed", and a cover of "Mockingbird" with his daughter Krystal, who released her debut album in December 2011). He opened his own record label, the aforementioned Showdog Tunes.
Tragically, Toby Keith died after a battle with cancer at age 62 on February 5, 2024 in his beloved native Oklahoma.- Actor
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Colt Ford is known for Patriots Day (2016), The Baytown Outlaws (2012) and Colt Ford feat. Kevin Gates and Jermaine Dupri: Hood (2021).