Last Updated on 1 January 2024
The following list is the Official Definitive Ranked List of the 200 best country artists of all time. As of 2023 anyway. I found 21 different ranked lists online of “best country singers or artists” and pulled them all into Excel and merged them all to get this definitive compilation. See my Methodology page for the research process that was used. Below is the ranked list.
- Johnny Cash
- Hank Williams
- Merle Haggard
- Willie Nelson
- Dolly Parton
- Waylon Jennings
- George Strait
- George Jones
- Garth Brooks
- Loretta Lynn
- Patsy Cline
- Jimmie Rodgers
- Conway Twitty
- Tammy Wynette
- Reba McEntire
- Buck Owens
- The Carter Family
- Shania Twain
- Alan Jackson
- Tim McGraw
- Randy Travis
- Taylor Swift
- Ray Price
- Kitty Wells
- Carrie Underwood
- Charley Pride
- Kenny Chesney
- Marty Robbins
- Glen Campbell
- Hank Williams Jr.
- Kenny Rogers
- Brad Paisley
- Vince Gill
- Eddy Arnold
- Bob Wills
- Kris Kristofferson
- Tanya Tucker
- Ernest Tubb
- Alabama
- Blake Shelton
- Miranda Lambert
- Roger Miller
- Chris Stapleton
- Lefty Frizzell
- Emmylou Harris
- Dwight Yoakam
- Bill Monroe
- Keith Whitley
- Roy Acuff
- Keith Urban
- Alison Krauss
- Tom T. Hall
- Luke Bryan
- Flatt & Scruggs
- Luke Combs
- Brooks & Dunn
- Brenda Lee
- Toby Keith
- The Chicks (prev. Dixie Chicks)
- Wanda Jackson
- The Stanley Brothers
- Ronnie Milsap
- Jean Shepard
- The Judds
- Jerry Reed
- Gene Autry
- Charlie Rich
- The Oak Ridge Boys
- Don Williams
- Hank Snow
- Ricky Skaggs
- Porter Wagoner
- Eric Church
- Crystal Gayle
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- The Louvin Brothers
- Jim Reeves
- Johnny Horton
- Clint Black
- Faron Young
- Patty Loveless
- John Denver
- John Prine
- Gram Parsons
- The Charlie Daniels Band
- Mel Tillis
- Bobby Bare
- Roy Clark
- Barbara Mandrell
- John Anderson
- Tennessee Ernie Ford
- Faith Hill
- Marty Stuart
- Steve Earle
- Trace Adkins
- Rascal Flatts
- Vern Gosdin
- The Statler Brothers
- Martina McBride
- Darius Rucker
- David Allan Coe
- Connie Smith
- Chet Atkins
- Lee Ann Womack
- Don Gibson
- Trisha Yearwood
- Elvis Presley
- Bill Anderson
- Rosanne Cash
- Roy Rogers
- LeAnn Rimes
- Sara Evans
- Jamey Johnson
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Kacey Musgraves
- Mary Chapin Carpenter
- Webb Pierce
- Lynn Anderson
- Montgomery Gentry
- Linda Ronstadt
- Diamond Rio
- Travis Tritt
- Rodney Crowell
- Hank Thompson
- Hank Williams III
- Huey Lewis
- Dottie West
- Wynonna Judd
- Townes Van Zandt
- Ray Charles
- June Carter Cash
- John Michael Montgomery
- Johnny Paycheck
- Patsy Montana
- Jason Aldean
- Lady A
- The Everly Brothers
- Dierks Bentley
- Naomi Judd
- Chris LeDoux
- Earl Thomas Conley
- Lonestar
- Charlie Daniels
- Mark Chesnutt
- Gene Watson
- Mickey Gilley
- Uncle Tupelo
- “Little” Jimmy Dickens
- Lee Greenwood
- John Conlee
- Earl Scruggs
- Sons of the Pioneers
- Scotty McCreery
- Steve Wariner
- Anne Murray
- Kellie Pickler
- Lyle Lovett
- Big & Rich
- Sugarland
- Gretchen Wilson
- Bruce Springsteen
- Rodney Atkins
- Maren Morris
- Marie Osmond
- Randy Owen
- Red Foley
- Aaron Lewis
- Jason Isbell
- Turnpike Troubadours
- Kane Brown
- Roy Orbison
- Gary Stewart
- George Morgan
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Shooter Jennings
- Sara Carter
- Brandi Carlile
- Burl Ives
- Slim Whitman
- Sonny James
- Zac Brown Band
- Joe Diffie
- Bonnie Tyler
- Doug Sahm
- Kid Rock
- The Gatlin Brothers
- Tracy Lawrence
- Minnie Pearl
- Billy Joe Shaver
- Ray Stevens
- Billy Ray Cyrus
- Guy Clark
- Gillian Welch
- Larry Gatlin
- Cowboy Copas
- Jessi Colter
- Josh Turner
- Merle Travis
- Asleep at the Wheel
- B.J. Thomas
