Your Favorite Country Singers: Then And Now
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.
