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Most Popular Country Music Artists According to Baby Boomers: Ranked

Mike Edmisten

Published: March 23, 2024 9:30 am

Country music is, in many ways, the soundtrack of America. It typically isn’t as musically complex as other genres, such as jazz or classical music. Instead, the beauty of country music is found in its simplicity. The prolific songwriter, Harlan Howard, famously summed up the genre by saying, “Country music is three chords and the truth.”

The gritty truths communicated through country music have resonated with generations of Americans, dating back to its earliest days in the 1910s-20s when Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family essentially created the genre. By the time the Baby Boomer generation (those born between 1946 and 1964) arrived, country music was woven deeply into the American culture and identity. Here is a look at the most popular country artists among those in the Baby Boomer generation. (And for a look at where this generation is spending their money these days, here is a list of 19 car models Baby Boomers keep buying hand over fist.)

24/7 Wall St. used information from the research and analytics firm, YouGov, for this story. The artists are ranked from tenth to first place in terms of their popularity among Baby Boomers.

We did employ a bit of editorial discretion by omitting Huey Lewis from our rankings even though he was included on the YouGov list. Don’t get us wrong…we’re huge fans of Huey Lewis and the News, but in what universe is Lewis a country artist? Instead of singing, “Don’t rock the jukebox,” Lewis loudly and proudly declared, “The heart of rock and roll is still beating.” This isn’t to say that Lewis never recorded any country songs. “One of the Boys” has an iconic country sound. He also re-recorded his famous hit, “Workin’ for a Livin’” with Garth Brooks in 2007. However, these outliers hardly qualify Lewis as a country music artist.

Now that we have dispensed with that inexplicable entry on this list, here are the top 10 most popular country artists among Baby Boomers according to YouGov’s research.

10. Alabama

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• Years Active: 1969-2004, 2006-2007, 2010-present

Alabama’s Career

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Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry, Mark Herndon, and Randy Owen teamed up to form one of the most successful bands in country music history. Cook, Gentry, and Owen were all born in Fort Payne, Alabama. The trio formed a band called Wildcountry, but later changed the name to Alabama as a salute to their birthplace.

The group scored a residency at The Bowery, a honky-tonk in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They cycled through a few drummers before hiring Herndon, a former rock drummer, as the permanent fourth member of the band.

Once the group signed with RCA Records, the hits started coming. In an era where solo artists dominated the country music landscape, Alabama proved that there was a place for a multi-member band.

Some of Alabama’s biggest hits include:

• “Mountain Music”
• “Dixieland Delight”
• “Love in the First Degree”
• “Lady Down on Love”
• “Song of the South”
• “40 Hour Week”
• “Tennessee River”
• “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas”
• “Roll On (18-Wheeler)”
• “Forever’s as Far as I’ll Go”

Alabama was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2005.

The group is still touring, though they mourned the loss of the uber-talented Jeff Cook in 2022.

9. Reba McEntire

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• Years Active: 1975-present

Reba’s Career

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Reba McEntire (often known simply as Reba) has been dubbed the Queen of Country, and for good reason. She was born in McAlester, Oklahoma where she got her musical start by singing at rodeos. Those humble beginnings launched a career that made Reba the most successful female country artist of the 1980s-90s.

Deeply influenced by artists such as Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, and Loretta Lynn, Reba purposefully made music with a more traditional country sound, as opposed to the country-pop that was ubiquitous at the time. This is not to say that she can be typecast into one style, though. Reba’s soaring, powerful vocals have reached fans of numerous genres.

Some of Reba’s biggest hits include:

• “Fancy”
• “I’m a Survivor”
• “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” (a cover of the song originally recorded by Vicki Lawrence)
• “Whoever’s in New England”
• “Little Rock”
• “You Lie”
• “Does He Love You” (with Linda Davis)

Along with her music, Reba has graced both the TV and movie screens as well as the Broadway stage. She starred in “Reba,” a sitcom that aired from 2001-2007. It was recently announced that Reba will rejoin actress Melissa Peterman in an upcoming new sitcom on NBC.

However, Reba’s music is what Baby Boomers (and multiple other generations) know and love the most. Reba is the only female country artist to score solo #1 hits in four consecutive decades. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011.

8. Loretta Lynn

Source: Walden S. Fabry / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Years Active: 1960-2022

Loretta Lynn’s Career

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Loretta (Webb) Lynn was born on April 14, 1932, in Butcher Hollow (usually pronounced Butcher Holler), Kentucky. Her father, Ted, supported the family as a farmer and coal miner. Loretta had seven siblings, including Brenda Gail, who later took the stage name Crystal Gayle and became a country music star, as well.

Lynn grew up singing in the family’s church. She married young and had four children by the time she was 20. (She had six children, in total.) While she and her husband, Oliver, worked hard to support their growing family, Lynn never lost sight of her musical aspirations.

After moving to Nashville, Lynn became a close friend of Patsy Cline. Like Cline, Lynn broke many of the rules of country music’s “boy’s club.” She also used her music to take controversial subjects head-on. Songs such as, “Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind),” “Rated X,” “Fist City,” and “The Pill” made many in the country music establishment very nervous. Those same songs endeared her to fans, though.

The poverty and hardships her family endured during Lynn’s childhood served as the backdrop for much of her music. “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” perhaps her most well-known hit, recounts the hardscrabble life in that Appalachian coal mining household.

Along with the hit solo songs mentioned above, Lynn also teamed up with her good friend, Conway Twitty, to record some country music gold. Some of their collaborations include, “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man,” “Lead Me On,” and “After the Fire is Gone.”

Lynn was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988. She passed away on October 4, 2022.

7. John Denver

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• Years Active: 1962-1997

John Denver’s Career

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Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., who would later be known by his stage name, John Denver, grew up in a military family that was often forced to relocate. This made it difficult for the young boy to forge lasting friendships. He found solace, however, in music.

Denver’s breakout success began when the folk-pop group Peter, Paul, and Mary recorded a song he had written called, “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” His solo career would soon gain traction, as well. Denver’s smooth tenor vocals made him a star in folk, soft rock, pop, and country music.

Many in the country music establishment despised Denver’s music, though, considering it an affront to traditional country music. This hatred rose to a fever pitch when Denver won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year Award in 1975. Charlie Rich, who announced Denver as the award winner, proceeded to step back from the microphone, take out a cigarette lighter, and torch the card that had Denver’s name on it. That move backfired, though. It became a permanent black mark on Rich’s career, while Denver’s popularity grew all the more.

Some of John Denver’s biggest hits include:

• “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
• “Annie’s Song”
• “Rocky Mountain High”
• “Sunshine on My Shoulders”
• “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”

John Denver is the only artist on this list not enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame. He died when a plane that he was piloting crashed on October 12, 1997.

6. Glen Campbell

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• Years Active: 1950-2013

Glen Campbell’s Career

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If there was a Mount Rushmore of country music instrumentalists, Glen Campell would have to be included. He was a guitar virtuoso who was not only one of country music’s finest musicians, but also one of the most in-demand session guitarists by artists of any genre. It is not surprising that Campbell recorded with country music legend, Merle Haggard. However, he also joined recording sessions with artists such as Elvis Presley, The Righteous Brothers, the Mamas & the Papas, Lou Rawls, Sonny & Cher, The Monkees, The Beach Boys, Doris Day, Sammy Davis Jr., The Everly Brothers, Wayne Newton, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra.

Even more surprising, Campbell was great friends with rocker Alice Cooper. The two played golf together often. In an interview after Campbell died in 2017, Cooper said that Campbell was “considered one of the five best guitar players out there.” Campbell earned immense respect from rock legends such as Cooper, Eddie Van Halen, and many others.

The ultimate entertainer, Campbell hosted “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” TV variety show. He also appeared in numerous movies.

Along with his guitar mastery, Campbell had perfect pitch. His vocal prowess fit right in with the “Countrypolitan” music popular at the time. Some of his biggest singles include:

• “Gentle on My Mind”
• “Southern Nights”
• “Witchita Lineman”
• “Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.)”
• “Try a Little Kindness”
• “Rhinestone Cowboy”

Campbell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. He passed away on August 8, 2017.

5. The Everly Brothers

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• Years Active: 1951-1973, 1983-2005

The Everly Brothers’ Career

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Many Baby Boomers were teenagers when the Everly Brothers hit their pinnacle of success. The music we grow up with always remains dear to us, so The Everly Brothers have remained unsurprisingly beloved by Baby Boomers.

It is difficult to pigeonhole The Everly Brothers into one musical genre. They seamlessly crossed the lines of rock, pop, and country. However, country music is almost certainly their deepest roots. They were discovered by Chet Atkins, one of the most iconic country music guitarists of all time.

Atkins was a key player in the “Nashville Sound” era of country music which will be discussed in the next section. This new style was a significant departure from traditional country music, and the traditionalists certainly didn’t like it. This also meant they didn’t like Phil and Don Everly. When the brothers moved to Knoxville from Iowa, they began performing on Cas Walker’s “Farm and Home Hour.” It was a country variety show designed to promote Walker’s line of grocery stores. The show helped launch the careers of multiple country stars, including Dolly Parton. The Everly Brothers also got their start on the show, but Walker quickly soured on them because they weren’t a traditional country act. He fired them, saying, “That wiggle won’t sell groceries.”

Chet Atkins, however, saw the potential of these two young men and the rest is history. Some of the Everly Brothers’ biggest hits include:

• “Bye Bye Love”
• “All I Have to Do is Dream”
• “Cathy’s Clown”
• “Wake Up Little Susie”

The Everly Brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Phil Everly died on January 3, 2014, while his older brother, Don, passed away on August 21, 2021.

4. Patsy Cline

Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

• Years Active: 1948-1963

Patsy Cline’s Career

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Patsy Cline’s career reached its apex when Baby Boomers were coming of age, so it is no surprise that she would rank so highly on this list of that generation’s favorite country music artists. It was a time when rock and roll was taking the world by storm, and country music was fighting for its very survival. A new movement in country music known as the “Nashville Sound” introduced the genre to new fans as it blurred the line between country and pop music. The fiddle was exchanged for more classical violins. The twang that had defined the genre was replaced by smooth vocals and tight backup harmonies. Patsy Cline was one of the biggest stars of the Nashville Sound era.

Tragically, though, Cline’s life was cut short when she died in a plane crash on March 5, 1963, at the age of 30. However, her influence on the country music genre is still felt today.

Cline’s given name was Virginia Patterson Hensley. She was born in Winchester, Virginia in 1932. She was influenced by the music she heard at church, but also by the work of Judy Garland, Shirley Temple, and Hank Williams.

When she was 13, Virginia was hospitalized with rheumatic fever and a severe throat infection. The artist insisted that this infection altered her voice. She said, “The fever affected my throat and when I recovered, I had this booming voice like Kate Smith.”

Hensley married Gerald Cline in 1953. Encouraged to take on a stage name, she used Patsy (derived from her middle name) along with her married surname.

In her short career, Patsy Cline shattered country music’s glass ceiling. She was one of the first women to headline country music concerts. She also dared to push back against notoriously shady concert promoters, demanding payment before she took the stage. That was unheard of, especially from a female artist. However, Cline’s motto was simple: “No dough, no show.”

Her song, “Walkin’ After Midnight,” reached #2 on the country chart and #16 on the pop chart, making her one of the first country artists with a pop crossover hit. One of her biggest songs, “Crazy,” was written by Willie Nelson. According to Ken Burns’ “Country Music” documentary, the song would become the top jukebox song of all time.

In addition to the previously mentioned songs, some of Cline’s other hits included:

• “I Fall to Pieces”
• “She’s Got You”
• “Always”
• “Sweet Dreams of You”

In 1973, she was posthumously enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame, making her the first female solo artist to be inducted.

3. Willie Nelson

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• Years Active: 1956-present

Willie Nelson’s Career

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When Willie Nelson broke onto the scene, he had a short haircut and often wore a suit and tie when he performed. If we might state the obvious, that is not the image of Willie Nelson today. The clean-cut persona didn’t last long into Nelson’s ultra-successful career. Instead, he made a name for himself with his long braided hair and outlaw attitude. Seriously, this is the guy who smoked pot with President Jimmy Carter’s son on the roof of the White House in 1980!

Willie Nelson and his friend, Waylon Jennings, pioneered what came to be known as Outlaw Country. It was a rebellion against the polished and predictable music that was dominated more by record sales than artistry. However, the two soon proved that there was an untapped market for their outlaw music.

Willie and Waylon recorded an album together entitled, “Wanted! The Outlaws.” This project took on a life of its own and became the first album to be certified platinum in the history of country music.

Some of Nelson’s biggest hits include:

• “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” (with Waylon Jennings)
• “Good Hearted Woman” (also with Waylon Jennings)
• “Always on My Mind”
• “Beer for My Horses” (with Toby Keith)
• “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before” (with Julio Iglesias)
• “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”
• “Seven Spanish Angels” (with Ray Charles)
• “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”
• “On the Road Again”

Nelson was enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993.

2. Johnny Cash

Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

• Years Active: 1954-2003

Johnny Cash’s Career

Source: Heinrich Klaffs / Wikimedia Commons

The “Man in Black” is the second most popular country artist among Baby Boomers, although he is also beloved by younger generations, as well. Johnny Cash is the second most popular country artist among Gen Xers and Millennials, as well.

Cash grew up in a government resettlement colony for struggling farmers in Arkansas. He was deeply influenced by the gospel music he heard at church as well as the country music from the Grand Ole Opry.

Cash’s hardscrabble childhood inspired his music, but he also sought to escape the pain through substance abuse. Cash himself once said, “I was taking the pills for a while, and then the pills started taking me.” His struggle with addiction lasted for much of his life, but the disease finally lost its grip on him in his later years. Cash would often tell people struggling with similar addictions, “You can be redeemed.”

Cash’s influence on country music is immeasurable. He often used his smooth baritone voice to sing about suffering, trials, struggles, and redemption, but he typically did it with a driving country/blues rhythm.

Cash released well over 100 albums and holds the record for the most time elapsed between albums that reached #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums. His first and last #1 albums were separated by an astonishing 50 years and 91 days.

Some of Johnny Cash’s biggest hits include:

• “Ring of Fire”
• “I Walk the Line”
• “Folsom Prison Blues”
• “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”
• “A Boy Named Sue”
• “Jackson” (with June Carter)
• “Hurt” (a cover of the song originally recorded by the rock band Nine Inch Nails).

Cash was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980. He passed away on September 12, 2003.

1. Dolly Parton

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• Years Active: 1956-present

Dolly Parton’s Career

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Dolly Parton is the favorite country artist among Baby Boomers but, like Johnny Cash, her appeal is multi-generational. Along with Baby Boomers, Parton also tops the list as the favorite country artist among Gen Xers and Millenials. She is, quite simply, one of the most universally loved celebrities in the world today.

Parton’s life is the quintessential story of country music. She was born in abject poverty in the mountains of Sevier County, Tennessee. Her parents paid the doctor who delivered her with a sack of cornmeal. She was the fourth of twelve children and grew up in a one-room cabin without electricity.

However, the Parton family did own a battery-powered radio. Dolly grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry. Those formative years would forever be the inspiration for her songwriting and her musical career. And what a legendary career it has been.

Through her music, Dolly spoke to the heart of countless issues such as poverty, work, sexism, and faith. She never took herself too seriously, though. That fun-loving side shines through in so many of her songs.

Parton has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies, including “9 to 5” and “Steel Magnolias.” She also has a business empire, headlined by the Dollywood Company which operates a theme park, resorts, dinner shows, and more.

In the end, though, it all comes back to the music. Parton has released 65 studio albums, the most ever for a female country singer. Forty-eight of those albums reached the Top Ten on the U.S. Country Album chart, which is also a record among female country artists. Parton scored 25 #1 singles, a record for female country artists that she shares with Reba McEntire.

Some of Dolly’s biggest hits include:

• “I Will Always Love You”
• “Jolene”
• “Islands in the Stream” (with Kenny Rogers)
• “9 to 5”
• “Here You Come Again”
• “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That”
• “Coat of Many Colors”

Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.