Hailing from Luttrell, TN, country heart-throb Kenny Chesney first made his mark in 1994 with his debut album, but it wasn't until a couple of years later that he started scoring major hits and making himself a household name. His straightforward, em…

Toby Keith has all the right credentials for a country star; born in Oklahoma, he was raised on a farm, and worked for a rodeo as a young man. In 1993, Keith became a success straight out of the gate with his self-titled debut album. From there on, t…

West Virginia country singer/songwriter Brad Paisley gained renown almost immediately with his 1999 debut album, WHO NEEDS PICTURES. He was distinguished from many of his peers by his expert guitar technique (his second and third albums included West…

Georgia singer/songwriter Alan Jackson was a member of the legendary "Class of '89", which also included Garth Brooks, Clint Black, and Travis Tritt. Among his peers Jackson stands apart because of his songwriting talent (Randy Travis and Faith Hill …

George Strait led country's New Traditionalist movement in the early '80s with his updated approach to traditional Western swing and his smooth, romantic crooning. The reclusive superstar's chart success has never flagged since then; he routinely sco…

This raucous honky-tonk duo comprises Eddie Montgomery (b. Gerald Edward Montgomery, 30 September 1963, Lancaster, Kentucky, USA; vocals/guitar) and Troy Gentry (b. 5 April 1967, Lexington, Kentucky, USA; vocals/guitar). Eddie is the brother of count…

Though Keith Urban is a major US country star, he actually hails from Australia, where he began his career. After coming to America with his band the Ranch, Urban began making international inroads. As skilled at guitar playing as he was at singing, …

Founders of Nashville songwriting collective the Muzik Mafia, Big Kenny and John Rich took Nashville by storm in the early 2000s by consciously bucking every trend that Music City held dear. Infusing their take on country music with healthy doses of …

A slow starter career-wise, Tim McGraw, the illegitimate son of baseball legend Tug McGraw, eventually became one of the biggest country stars of the new millennium. After several failed singles, his politically-incorrect novelty number, "Indian Outl…

Born in Phoenix, boarding school-educated Dierks Bentley moved to Nashville in 1994 to attend Vanderbilt University, but soon abandoned his book-learning in favor of paying his musical dues in Nashville's many clubs. Bentley gradually won over audien…

Part of the second wave of neo-traditionalists, former oil rig worker Trace Adkins found a decent amount of success in the early during the late 1990s. Then troubles with the law and dwindling record sales forced Adkins from the spotlight. The occasi…

The five-piece band Lonestar honed its country/soft-rock sound in America's bars and clubs for years before releasing their hit 1996 major-label debut. After bass player John Rich left the group for a solo career, Lonestar continued as a quartet, and…

Cousins Jay DeMarcus and Gary LeVox grew up playing together in Columbus, OH. After DeMarcus moved to Nashville, LeVox eventually followed, and with Joe Don Rooney they formed Rascal Flatts, the singing, songwriting, and instrumental abilities of all…

A self-proclaimed "Redneck Woman," Gretchen Wilson injected Nashville's pop-oriented landscape of the early 2000s with a welcome dose of old-fashioned honky-tonk swagger and tear-in-your-beer country. A discovery of Nashville's Muzik Mafia duo Big & …

b. 18 June 1976, Ada, Oklahoma, USA. This new country artist was taught to play guitar by his uncle while growing up in his native Oklahoma. Still only in his mid-teens he began playing the local bar circuit, but a performance at a tribute to legenda…

Singersongwriter Craig Morgan was an army brat before he opted for a career in music Born and raised in Nashville Morgan was already a country music fan with dreams of playing guitar and making it big But before his musical dreams could become realit…

By the end of the 1990s, Faith Hill (n‚e Audrey Faith Perry) had become half of the First Couple of Country Music--the nickname given to her and her husband, fellow superstar Tim McGraw. Hill combines Cover Girl good looks (literally--she was a model…

b. Rogers, Arkansas, USA. This US country singer's father was an amateur country singer who instilled in his son a love of classic singers such as George Jones and Marty Robbins. After completing high school, Nichols landed a job as a car mechanic bu…

b. Gary Herzberg, 5 December 1967, Montebello, California, USA. This country singer-songwriter and keen surfer grew up in southern California. As a precocious teenager he first appeared on stage with the Herzberg family band. A&M Records were soon ex…

A product of the late-1990s Nashville pop-country movement, Sara Evans's albums were built on strong songwriting and a neo-traditionalist flair that won over the critics. Though very much a commercial-country singer, Evans is often associated with ne…