Country music is a musical genre originating from rural parts of the southern regions across the U.S.
Johnny Cash and June Carter, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams Jr., The Judds, Waylon Jennings, Loretta Lynn, and Kenny Rogers are among some of the most influential artists who helped shape the future of country music.
"I Walk the Line" by Cash and "Walkin' After Midnight" by Cline are among the greatest country hits from the 1950s and 1960s.
Country rock artists like Jimmy Buffett, the Allman Brothers Band, and the Marshall Tucker Band provided audiences of the genre with a unique perspective on the sound.
"Coal Miner's Daughter" by Lynn, "I've Always Been Crazy" by Waylon Jennings, "Margaritaville" by Buffett, and "Ramblin' Man" by the Allman Brothers are a few of the most recognizable country songs from the 1970s.
In the 1980s, country music artists like George Strait, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Randy Travis became widely recognized before skyrocketing to fame and maintaining popularity today. Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Shania Twain, and Trisha Yearwood paved the way for pop-like country music in the 1990s.
Since 2000, country music has seen a multitude of artists emerge as top performers and best-selling singers and songwriters, including Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, Billy Currington, Rascal Flatts, Eric Church, Kelsea Ballerini, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Martina McBride, Darius Rucker, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Russell Dickerson, Sheryl Crow, Thomas Rhett, Zac Brown Band, and Old Dominion, among many others.
