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, …

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…

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…

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…

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…

Carrie Underwood was the winner of the fourth AMERICAN IDOL reality-TV competition. Underwood sparked a mild controversy for being the first IDOL contestant to fully embrace country music--as opposed to the more preferred Top 40 pop styles of previou…

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…

Sugarland began as a trio of singersongwriters from the Atlanta GA area each of whom had some level of renown as a solo performer Lead singer Jennifer Nettles had previously fronted Soul Miners Daughter and her gospel background and deep soul approac…

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…

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…

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…

With her incredible vocal prowess and talent for choosing meaningful songs, Martina McBride became one of the top female country stars of the mid-'90s. After Garth Brooks hired the still-unknown McBride as his opening act, the beautiful singer got lo…

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 …

Though journalistic shorthand often finds Nickelback dubbed "the Canadian Creed," the band found success on its own terms right from the start with the 2000 debut album THE STATE. It may be true that the band's heavy guitars, pounding drums, and dram…

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…

Denver-based band the Fray was formed in 2002 by Isaac Slade vocals piano and Joe King guitar vocals when the two former school friends met up again in a local music store They soon began regular two-man jam sessions that led to writing songs and dev…

One of the most successful duos in country music history, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn were put together in the early 1990s by former Arista Nashville label boss Tim DuBois, who thought the two singer-songwriters' styles would complement each other. Th…

As the very first winner of the AMERICAN IDOL television show competition, Kelly Clarkson was inevitably pegged as little more than a manufactured pop commodity. The surprisingly versatile singer managed to survive against expectations, however, and …

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…

Out of the backwaters of Oklahoma rose the power-pop clatter of the All-American Rejects, whose 2002 self-titled debut album, released on the indie Doghouse Records, yielded a huge fan base and the attention of several major labels. In a field crowde…