This book focuses on 50 of the most important entertainers in the history of country music, from its beginnings in the folk music of early America through the 1970s. Divided into five distinct categories, it discusses the pioneers who brought mountain music to mass audiences; cowboys and radio stars who spread country music countrywide; honky-tonk and bluegrass musicians who differentiated country music during the 1940s; the major contributions that female artists made to the genre; and the modern country sound which dominated the genre from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s. Each entry includes a brief biography of the chosen artist with special emphasis on experiences which influenced their musical careers. Covered musicians include Fiddlin' John Carson, Riley Puckett, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Bob Wills, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Sr., Dale Evans, June Carter Cash, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, Roy Clark, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Preface      Introduction      PART ONE: THE PIONEERS      Fiddlin’ John Carson (1868–1949): The Virginia Reeler      Uncle Dave Macon (1870–1952): King of the Hillbillies      Dr. Humphrey Bate (1875–1936): The Possum Hunter      Vernon Dalhart (1883–1948): A Country Star      Gid Tanner (1885–1960): The Skillet Licker      A.P. Carter (1891–1960): Family Patriarch      Charlie Poole (1892–1931): North Carolina Rambler      E.V. “Pop” Stoneman (1893–1968): Country Patriarch      Riley Puckett (1894–1946): Blind Ambition      Jimmie Rodgers (1897–1933): The Singing Brakeman      PART TWO: COWBOYS AND RADIO STARS      Ken Maynard (1895–1973): Wagon Master      Roy Acuff (1903–1992): Wabash Cannonball      Wilf Carter (1904–1996): Montana Slim      Tex Ritter (1907–1974): Lone Star Cowboy      Gene Autry (1907–1998): The Singing Cowboy      Red Foley (1910–1968): The Mainstream Voice      Roy Rogers (1911–1998): Happy Trails Forever      Hank Snow (1914–1999): The Travelin’ Canadian      Merle Travis (1917–1983): The Individualist      Eddy Arnold (1918–): The Tennessee Plowboy      PART THREE: WESTERN SWING/BLUEGRASS/HONKY TONK      Bob Wills (1905–1975): The Western Swing King      Bill Monroe (1911–1996): The Bluegrass Rambler      Ernest Tubb (1914–1984): The Texas Troubadour      Lester Flatt (1914–1979): Flat Pickin’      Hank Williams, Sr. (1923–1953): Life to Legend      Earl Scruggs (1924–): Dueling Banjoist      Hank Thompson (1925–): Texas Swing      Ray Price (1926–): Cherokee Cowboy      George Jones (1931–): Honky Tonk Texan      PART FOUR: WOMEN OF COUNTRY MUSIC      Sara Carter (1899–1979): Wildwood Flower      Maybelle Carter (1909–1978): Country Matriarch      Dale Evans (1912–2001): Queen of the Cowgirls      Kitty Wells (1918–): Queen of Country Music      Molly O’Day (1923–1987): A Defining Role      June Carter Cash (1929–2003): A Song in Her Heart      Patsy Cline (1932–1963): A Country Music Treasure      Loretta Lynn (1934–): Coal Miner Heartbreak      Wanda Jackson (1937–): Country Music Heart      PART FIVE: OUTLAWS, REBELS AND SUPERSTARS      Chet Atkins (1924–2001): The Superpicker      Marty Robbins (1925–1982): The Country Chameleon      Buck Owens (1929–2006): Baron of Bakersfield      Johnny Cash (1932–2003): The Man in Black      Charlie Rich (1932–1995): The Silver Fox      Glen Campbell (1936–): Rhinestone Cowboy      Roy Clark (1933–): Lightning Fingers      Willie Nelson (1933–): Austin Outlaw      Conway Twitty (1933–1993): Uncrowned King      Waylon Jennings (1937–2002): Ladies Love Outlaws      Merle Haggard (1937–): Lonesome Fugitive      Kenny Rogers (1938–): The Gambler      Bibliography      Index