Thursday afternoon at the studio, I had a conversation about some of the greatest artists in Country Music history. I think the term “Goat “ has been overused in the last ten years.

I hear people use the words King, Goat, and Legend. Yep, we use them on Freedom 95.1. Who are your top 20 artists in Country Music History?

This will be purely subjective, as most music is. If you went by number one and their longevity, I would say George Strait is number one, with records sold, Garth and Shania. Still, in my opinion, Hank Williams Jr. is number one on my list. Still, even then, I have to immediately think about Hank Williams Sr., with being his son. Would I even know who Hank Jr. is? Waylon and Willie will always have a place in my mind close to the top because Waylon and Willie, the leather texture album, was the first a young Eric White played in his room all those years ago.

At Freedom 95.1, we have a top 20. The list I present to you is not how I would rank them, but how an author ranked them using a chart-based methodology. Longevity played a huge role in his scoring system. The other footnote is we are using for the 2012 publication of this book.

1. George Jones

2. George Strait

3. Johnny Cash

4. Conway Twitty

5. Merle Haggard

6. Reba McEntire

7. Dolly Parton

8. Willie Nelson

9. Alan Jackson

10. Hank Williams Jr.

11. Waylon Jennings

12. Alabama

13. Garth Brooks

14. Ronnie Milsap

15. Kenny Rogers

16. Brooks and Dunn

17. Clint Black

18. Randy Travis

19. The Judds

20. Keith Whitley

How does our top 20 shape up against your personal Top 20? Are there artists that you feel belong in the top 20? Are there artists you disagree with in our Top 20? The next 30 artists are as follows.

21. Tim McGraw

22. Kenny Chesney

23. Charley Pride

24. Toby Keith

25. Tammy Wynette

26. Tanya Tucker

27. Don Williams

28. Glen Campbell

29. Steve Wariner

30. Vince Gill

31. Barbara Mandrell

32. Oak Ridge Boys

33. Mickey Gilley

34. John Anderson

35. Travis Tritt

36. Faith Hill

37. Sawyer Brown

38. Bellamy Brothers

39. Earl Thomas Conley

40. Patty Loveless

41. Trisha Yearwood

42. Gene Watson

43. Mark Chesnutt

44. Tracy Lawrence

45. John Michael Montgomery

46. Clay Walker

47. Diamond Rio

48. Trace Adkins

49. Joe Diffie

50. John Conlee

Once again, they are ranked on the list using the author’s methodology; we play one more grouping of artists on Freedom 95.1. These artists qualify as legends in our opinion because of a song or are bonafide legends just because time has kept them from staying in the “top 50”.

51. Ray Price

52. Buck Owens

53. Marty Robbins

54. Loretta Lynn

55. Faron Young

56. Mel Tillis

57. Kitty Wells

58. Staler Brothers

59. Crystal Gayle

60. Hank Williams

61. Jerry Lee Lewis

62. Martina McBride

63. Bobby Bare

64. Lynn Anderson

65. Rascal Flatts

66. Brad Paosley

67. Eddie Rabbit

68. Anne Murray

69. Joe Stampley

70. Dottie West

71. Emmylou Harris

72. G. Sheppard

73. Keith Urban

74. Moe Bandy

75. Tom T. Hall

76. Johnny Paycheck

77. Jerry Reed

78. Charlie Rich

79. Lonestar

80. Larry Gatlin

81. Janie Fricke

82. Ricky Skaggs

83. Vern Gosdin

84. Collin Raye

85. Eddy Raven

86. Lee Greenwood

87. Kathy Mattea

88. Lorrie Morgan

89. Dwight Yoakam

90. Carrie Underwood

91. Shania Twain

92. Roger Miller

93. Charly McClain

94. Blake Shelton

95. Montgomery Gentry

96. Ronnie McDowell

97. Ricky Van Shelton

98. Tracy Byrd

99. Mel McDaniel

100. Dan Seals

101. Gary Allan

102. Jason Aldean

103. Roseanne Cash

104. Sammy Kershaw

105. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

106. Aaron Tippin

107. Restless Heart

108. Sara Evans

109. Dierks Bentley

110. Shenandoah

111. Johnny Lee

112. Gary Morris

113. Jo Dee Messina

114. Wynonna

115. Pam Tillis

116. Neal McCoy

117. Ed Bruce

118. Exile

119. Mary Chapin Carpenter

120. Michael Martin Murphy

121. Razzy Bailey

122. Doug Stone

123. Lee Ann Womack

124. Terri Clark

125. Marty Stuart

126. Billy Dean

127. Phil Vassar

128. Craig Morgan

129. Cal Smith

130. Lacy J Dalton

131. Mark Wills

132. Rodney Atkins

133. Mac Davis

134. Rodney Crowell

135. Graham Brown

136. Charlie Daniels Band

137. Sylvia

138. David Frizell

139. John Denver

140. Highway 101

141. Darryl Worley

142. Little Texas

143. Holly Dunn

144. Gary Stewart

145. Mel Street

146. Patsy Cline

147. Josh Turner

148. Gretchen Wilson

149. Tompall Glaser

150. Shelly West

151. David Allan Coe

152. John Schneider

153. Paul Overstreet

154. T. Oslin

155. Bryan White

156. Hal Ketchum

157. Billy Joe Royal

158. BJ Thomas

159. Rhett Akins

160. David Ball

161. Deborah Allen

162. Jeff Bates

163. Lionel Cartwright

164. Terri Gibbs

165. Jamey Johnson

166. Kevin Sharp

167. Daryle Singletary

168. Jo-el Sonnier

169. Doug Supernauw

170. Van Zant

171. Chris Young

Now, I will reveal my top five artists of all time. Once again, this is Eric White’s opinion and mine alone, based on my thirty-plus years of experience in radio and my fifty, almost fifty-five years of listening to country music.

Eric White’s Top Five Artists of all time:

1. Hank Williams Jr.

2. Waylon Jennings

3. Merle Haggard

4. Alan Jackson

5. Neal McCoy

My top five can be explained by my experience listening to country music,

Hank Williams Jr.: I have probably listened to Hank Jr music in my lifetime more than any other music, whether in that room at home at night growing up, on the radio, or mixtapes I would make using my albums. I primarily listened to his albums from 1982-1987. When I was at home, I listened to my stereo and my albums, especially after 1985 when Pop music was not to my liking; I would still listen to Hank when the eraser came out in 1991 and tried to erase the rich history of country music.

Waylon Jennings: Well, ole Waylon is tied to one of the most incredible nights of my life. My dad came home with a new stereo for his and Mama’s room, and I got their old Craig all-in-one stereo. The hours spent making mixtapes in that room, well, he gave me three of his albums that night: Waylon and Willie, Waylon Greatest Hits, and the Outlaws. How can I not put Waylon at the top of my list?

Merle Haggard: Ole Merle is probably one of the reasons I see bands as much as I did, especially Jeff Dugan. One of the first nights that I saw Jeff, he played a Merle tune, “Misery and Gin,” the song had been on the soundtrack for the “Bronco Billy” Soundtrack, and I had that album growing up, but as CD’s came out it was one of the most challenging songs to find at the store, but good ole Jeff would play the song every time I would see him. Merle’s music was full of great orchestration, and his words rang true, especially “If We Make It Through December”

Alan Jackson: he makes a list because he has always released songs that reach out and grab me. In 1991, he went number one for the first time with “I’d Love You All Over Again.” The night of Mrs. Pam’s tenth wedding anniversary, we stopped in at Cowboy’s to see the band, and my friend Aaron Lane was the DJ that night. I asked him to play that song for me and Pam to dance to. Afterward, he was like; Alan had recorded that song for you that night. Alan had written that song for his wife Denise; I just borrowed it because it was perfect. Over the years, Toby Keith may have caught my feelings in song after 9/11, but Alan Jackson captured how a nation felt after 9/11. Alan’s song “Small Town Southern Man” conjures up images of people I have known in my lifetime. His song “The Older I Get” released in 2021, shortly after Covid and when I turned fifty, hit me between the eyes and made me think and contemplate many things. Because of this fact, Alan Jackson edges out George Strait in my top five. George is in everyone else’s top five he is the chart king of country music, he gets the love and respect of all country fans, but Alan Jackson has since 1989 been right there, George had a ten year headstart on Alan.

The number five on my list is there simply because although I usually attend concerts to work, I get tickets because of work. I have paid for more tickets to see the gentleman at number five on my list than any other artist. When I joke and say that I saw his show over 50 times, all the way back to Cowboy’s in 1990, I am serious; I have sat there and watched him sing to tracks in his truck and cranked up the speakers at home that made my neighbors thing there was Mercredi at Pelican Park. Neal McCoy is an entertainer, singer, and, I will say, an all-around nice fellow. One of my bucket lists in life is to go to Longview and volunteer and or participate in the East Texas Angel Network Fundraiser Neal puts on each year.

I would love to see your top five artists of all time, and it would be cool if you would explain why. I love why people feel that way. Thank you to Barry Premeaux for having that conversation with me. My son Chris also had a conversation with me on Saturday night that inspired my Top five on paper.

Thank you for listening to the Country Legends on Freedom 95.1 and the Freedom 95.1 App. We appreciate your time and hope we can do it for years to come.

Eric White – Country Music Fan