Guess Who's The Top Country Artist Of The Past 25 Years?

Yahoo Music ^ | Jun 7, 2010 | by Wendy Geller

[US Navy Vet]

Music-industry bible Billboard took the opportunity this week to comb through its chart records and compile the top 25 Country artists of the past 25 years--and who do you think is topping the list? Nope, it's not Garth Brooks, who I would say is a more than reasonable guess. However, Garth landed at No. 2, falling short only to George Strait.

[Eaker]

(Cowboys Butts Make Me Nuts)

Ping for your expertise.

[dmz]

That being said, I don’t look so hot in a close up photo. Not so much from a distance either.

[SamAdams76]

I'm a big fan of many of the artists you listed and I might add Neko Case, who is not a pure country artist, but damn good at her trade and her style of music fits right in with Junior Brown, Mavericks, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, etc.

Speaking of Junior Brown, one of the most underrated performers ever. He deserves to be way more famous than he is (same with Neko Case).

Garth Brooks...his first three albums, he was headed for greatness. But he went off the rails with "The Chase" and turned into the Barry Manilow of country music thereafter. Still puts on a decent show but anything he put out since about 1993 sucks really bad.

George Strait is a good choice for number one, can't think of a song by him I don't like.

[MarineBrat]

One more Alison Krauss.... can’t get enough!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX7pHu88hm8&feature=related

[BamaDi]

I saw him for the very last concert held at the Astrodome; the next year I saw him at the very first concert in Reliant Stadium.....I’ve got the CD he did for the Astrodome show and I tell everyone that the loudest screams they hear are me....LOL

[FreedomPoster]

I haven’t, but then I’m really more of a classic rock fan than country.

That is my wife’s uncle’s first and middle name, FWL that’s worth. Heck, he might have been named after your GGGrandpa!

[patriot08]

.

IMHO, the greatest country singer who ever lived:
George Jones

Second greatest: Tammy Wynette

Greatest song ever: He stopped loving her today- George Jones

Other greatest songs (not necessarily in order of preference)

My Elusive Dreams - David Houston & Tammy Wynette

Apartment Number 9- Tammy Wynette

I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton

Galveston - Glen Campbell

Desperado - Eagles

You were always on my mind- Willie Nelson

Hello Darlin’ - Conway Twitty

Help Me Make It Through the Night- Sammie Smith

Make the World go Away- Eddie Arnold (yes- great song, one of the best singers)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q37bFR1Gmio

Lost in the fifties tonight- Ronnie Milsap
(Yes. You have to hear it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INcflt9zdwc

Together Again- Buck Owens

Almost Persuaded- David Houston

[NCC-1701]

I will add this to your list. “Believe” by Ronny Dunn is IMHO his best song ever. It rips your heart out. The video to it is also Brooks and Dunn’s finest work. Jennifer Hudson did a version of it on the show saluting B&D. She did a wonderful job covering it. But only one person can sing it and that is Ronny Dunn. It is my favorite B&D song.

[BnBlFlag]

The best Country singer of the last 25 years as well as all time is George Jones.

[reagan_fanatic]

Alison Krauss's voice is magical. I could listen to her sing for hours. And she's one heck of a talented musician as well (not to mention gorgeous.)

[patriot08]

You would not believe how much trouble I had just trying to listen to that song. I wasn’t familiar with it, so I went to YouTube. Only version I found with Dunn was live- so much noise I couldn’t hear the words..finally went to Jennifer Hudson and something was wrong with the volume. LOL
It sounds like a great song.
I’m not really a great fan of C&W, but I think the old timers had a greater sound. Today’s singers sound so much alike.

[patriot08]

Yes! George is the greatest of them all.
His idol was Hank Wiliams, but he outdid him long ago.
‘He stopped loving her today’ never fails to bring a tear to my eye.

[Richard Kimball]

I like George, but Hank was an original one of a kind.

[BnBlFlag]

Thank you! George Jones is just as much a Texan as George Strait (Although he’s an East Texan) and was raised not more than 50 miles from my present residence and he spent a lot of time in his youth in my home town of Beaumont.

[MarineBrat]

The wife and I are big fans of Krauss. We’ve seen her live a couple of times at a small outdoor venue in Hanford California. I knew when I first heard Krauss in the early 90’s that she was something very special. I’ve known a lot of singers in my life, but I would venture to say that there isn’t a better harmony singer in the World today, or in my lifetime. And as a lead singer, there’s only a small handful who can match her skill.

I’m thankful that she never went “glam” like so many other female C&W singers. She has stayed faithful to her bluegrass roots. And then picking up Jerry Douglas to play in her band..... well, it doesn’t get any better.

[BnBlFlag]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R2F9f2Cl6Y&feature=related

He Stopped Loving Her Today, George Jones

[donna]

Sandra Bullock?

[dmz]

I knew when I first heard Krauss in the early 90’s that she was something very special.

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I’ve got a couple of bootlegs of Alison playing fiddle in Tony Rice’s band, I think the band may also have included the nearly as lovely Alison Brown on banjo.

[Liberty Valance]

No surprises here ... and that's Strait from Texas.

[MarineBrat]

>>I’ve got a couple of bootlegs of Alison playing fiddle in Tony Rice’s band, I think the band may also have included the nearly as lovely Alison Brown on banjo.

Oooo! You should put them up on the FReeper Canteen one of these days... and of course, ping me to them. :)