New Generation of Country Music Stars

This book highlights 50 of the most important entertainers in contemporary country music, providing a brief biography of each artist with special emphasis on experiences that influenced their musical careers. The artists are divided into five categories: 'The New Traditionalists' (artists such as George Strait, Reba McEntire, and Clint Black who established the mainstream country sound in the 1980s); 'Alternative Country' (artists such as Steve Earle and Bela Fleck who made country music on their own terms); 'Groups' (ensemble acts such as Alabama, the Dixie Chicks, and Rascal Flatts that have carried on the traditions of the Carter Family and other prominent groups of the 1920s and 1930s); 'Country-Pop' (artists such as Garth Brooks and Shania Twain who firmly established the 'countrypolitan' sound as the cash cow of Nashville); and 'New Country' (the next generation of country-pop artists, with particular attention paid to international megastars such as Keith Urban, and teen sensations, including LeAnn Rimes and Taylor Swift).