Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Judd got her start singing with her mother Naomi when they started a country music duo in the first half of the 1980s. Their first album had 14 singles chart at number one, ensuring the ladies a lasting legacy in country music history. Though the group disbanded only a decade later, Judd managed to parlay their popularity into a successful solo career. In 2013, she appeared on Dancing With the Stars though she was one of the first couples eliminated, and she released a new album in 2016.
Keith Urban
Keith Urban may look like your all American country boy, but he’s really rocking some Kiwi roots. Following his relocation from New Zealand to America, he hit the big time on the country circuit. More recently, he appeared as a judge on the hit reality shows, The Voice and Amerian Idol. His most recent tour, Rhythm and Roots began in 2016, which was timed in order to accompany the release of his latest single, the heartbreaking ballad “Blue Ain’t Your Color.”
LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes was only 14 when she was awarded her first two Grammys in 1997, making her the youngest country star since Tanya Tucker in the 1970s. Her first album, Blue, had been released only the year before, but that didn’t stop it from hitting the number one spot on the Top Country Albums chart and becoming certified multi-platinum. Though LeAnn Rimes is still a successful musician, she’s also been writing books recently, releasing two novels and two children’s books.
Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley’s 1999 album, Who Needs Pictures, turned the country world upside down. Since his debut, he has released 10 albums, each achieving a certification of at least gold, if not higher. It only took him two years to be inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, an honor that takes many stars a lifetime to achieve. Paisley was the muse behind several songs in the Pixar film, Cars, and he shows no sign of slowing down, as his latest album, Love and War, was released in April.
Luke Bryan
Like many other artists on our list, Luke Bryan is another whose musicianship is far better than his fashion sense. He has the voice of an angel plus an unparalleled knack for songwriting, so it’s no wonder that he got his start writing music for more famous artists before getting signed himself. Since then he’s sold more than 7 million albums internationally. In 2017, Bryan was chosen to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in Houston, Texas and is a guest judge on The Voice.
Jake Owen
Jake Owen, whose given name was actually Joshua Ryan, managed to land a record deal with RCA Nashville in 2006. His first album, Starting with Me, was released later that year, but it took him another five years to land a number one hit on the country charts. The song? Barefoot Blue Jean Night. He may still be putting out new albums, including 2016’s American Love, which he also produced, but it’s his recent divorce that’s been keeping him in headlines.
Darius Rucker
While he started as the frontman of Hootie & the Blowfish, Darius Rucker has managed to become a successful solo act in his own right. He first met his fellow bandmates in the 80s when the four of them attended University of South Carolina. Rucker ditched the band in 2008, after 22 years together, but it was worth it when Rucker became the first black artist to reach the number one on the Hot Country Songs chart since 1983. Rucker recently played the County to Country festival in Europe.
Lorrie Morgan
Lorrie Morgan lived the dream of millions when she first performed at the Grand Ole Opry when she was only 13 years old. Her first number one hit, “Five Minutes”, was released in 1990, but it was her second record, “Something in Red” which she put out a year later that was certified platinum. Morgan has suffered some personal difficulties over the years, which culminated when she filed for bankruptcy in 2008. Luckily, Morgan managed to stage a comeback and released an album in 2016 called Letting Go…Slowly.
Toby Keith
Hailing from Clinton, Oklahoma, Toby Keith made his country debut in 1993, with the single “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” which managed to make it to the number one slot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Keith wasn’t content to just be a musician, so he opened up Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill in Oklahoma City. The bar was a success and has since expanded, as have Keith’s business dealings. By 2017, he’d become one of the wealthiest American celebrities, earning the title “Country Music’s $500 million man”.
Josh Turner
Josh Turner hasn’t shied away from sharing the influence that his faith has had on his music, saying that he doesn’t need to sing gospel to be a Christian singer. Turner’s first album, Long Black Train was released following his deal with MCA Nashville Records in 2003. It was his second album though, that scored him two number one hits, “Would You Go With Me” and the title track of the album, “Your Man.” His most recent album was released in March 2017 and called Deep South.
Vince Gill
Vince Gill’s career may have started in the 70s when he was the lead singer of Pure Prairie League, a country rock fusion, but he broke off on his own by 1983 and hasn’t looked back. Gill has released over 20 albums, with sales reaching over 26 million volumes sold. He’s earned his 18 Country Music Awards. Gill’s accolades don’t just stop there; he’s also won a record 21 Grammy awards, breaking the record for the number of Grammys earned by any other male country artist.
Eric Church
Eric Church burst onto the scene in 2005 when he scored a deal with Capitol Nashville. He’s managed to put out five albums since his debut album, Sinners Like Me, which came out in 2006. For the curious, there’s a good reason why Eric Church is always wearing sunglasses onstage–it’s to prevent his contacts from drying out under the glare of the harsh theatrical lighting. This year, you can catch Church singing all over the country as he begins his latest tour, titled Holdin’ My Own.
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert is another country star plucked from the ranks of other young hopefuls in the 2003 season of Nashville Star. Though she was only 19 when she placed third in the competition, the Texas native has grown into a talented and accomplished musician. Among her other country music accomplishments was marrying a fellow artist, Blake Shelton, though the relationship was not long-lived. She managed to translate her heartbreak into career success, appearing in Europe for the first time ever in 2016.
Hank Williams Jr.
Country music runs in Hank Williams Jr.’s blood. Not one to settle with being overshadowed by his famous father, Hank Williams, Jr.’s career was almost entirely derailed in 1975 when he suffered a serious mountain climbing accident. Luckily, for his career, Williams Jr. recovered, and he became a veritable country star in his own right as his music climbed the charts in the 1980s. He’s still releasing music more than 40 years after his debut, having released his most recent album, It’s About Time, in 2016.
Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton’s personal life may be what’s been making the headlines lately, following his split from Miranda Lambert and subsequent engagement to the blonde bombshell, Gwen Stefani. But before he was the focus of celebrity gossip, he was just a young country boy trying to make it in the big time when he released his first album in 2001. Even more recently, he’s been a judge on the hit show, The Voice, since the show began its run in 2011.
Sara Evans
Sara Evans may be a Missouri native, but when she arrived in Nashville in 1991, she fit right in, landing a record deal with RCA Nashville. She didn’t stay with the label for long, having eventually signed with Sony Music Nashville, before leaving them in August 2016 for Concord Music Group. In the interim, Evans took some time away from music to focus on raising her family with husband, Jay Barker. In 2016, she also made an appearance on Chrisley Knows Best, where she performed a duet with Todd Chrisley.