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…

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…

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…

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, …

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

b. 28 May 1964, Lynchburg, Virginia, USA. Vassar's father was a club singer, who bought his own restaurant. Vassar did well in athletics and football in school and obtained a degree in Business Administration from James Madison University. He moved t…

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 …

b. Louisiana, USA. This no-frills country rock artist was born in Louisiana but grew up in Houston, Texas. Cagle learned to play guitar and piano as a youngster and dropped out of college at the age of 19 to pursue a musical career. He relocated to N…

b. 31 October 1964, Pyburn, Tennessee, USA. This country singer-songwriter made his breakthrough in 2002, when his second album I Miss My Friend reached the top of the US country charts. Worley was brought up in a strict Methodist family, and his dec…