Country Music Singers

Country music and country music singers have been around for the better part of the last century. Early country music incorporated cowboy singers, such as Roy Orbison, and Western swing into the genre. Later, the genre evolved into rockabilly, and country rock.

Even early on, country music singers blended musical styles to add depth to their compositions. Roger Miller, for instance, combined country music and pop to his advantage, releasing such hits as “King of the Road” and “Dang Me.” Another notable country artist from this period was Johnny Cash. His darker image and lyrics were reflected in his state of dress (he often wore all black) and some of the songs he wrote, such as “Man in Black” and “Ring of Fire.”

The more modern country sound is dominated by a number of country singers, the most popular of which is Garth Brooks. Brooks, the second-bestselling solo artist in America, released his self-titled first album in 1989. His second album, No Fences, occupied the first position on the Billboard country music chart for 23 weeks, and the hit song from that album, “Friends in Low Places,” has since become a classic in the genre. The country music singer continued to have a steady stream of hit albums and won plenty of awards until his semi-retirement in 2000.

Another popular modern country music singer is Carrie Underwood, who became famous after winning the fourth season of the popular television series American Idol. Not long after her win on the TV show, her debut album Some Hearts was released and became immensely popular, and featured such hit singles as “Before He Cheats” and “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” Underwood’s singles also received play time on numerous Christian radio stations.

Since its inception, country music has remained popular in American culture, evolving into the juggernaut industry that it is today.