Top Ten Favorite Female Country Music Singers

So many great songs, so many great singers! Most of my top ten favorite female country music singers have long and successful careers. Not that I don't appreciate the newer artists. To me, the top singers must have a classic country sound and some experience behind their careers. Most of the women on this list are also talented arrangers and producers, so they are business-savvy as well as artists.

Patsy Cline defined her own style of country at a time when country music was broadening and new genres were being created. The late 50's and early 60's were a wonderful time of melding the old time country and bluegrass with rock 'n' roll and bluesy stuff that still permeates country music today. Loretta Lynn, the coal miner's daughter from Butcher Holler, Kentucky, IS classic country. And then there's Dolly Parton, who has been electrifying audiences since she was a child. At thirteen she was already recording for a small label and singing on the Grand Ole Opry. Dollywood, (http://www.dollywood.com) her family fun amusement park, is one of the great attractions in the Appalachians. It is 130 acres of rides, water park, and shows and entertainment at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Two voices I never tire of listening to are those of Alison Krause and Emmy Lou Harris. These two women are quite accomplished instrumentalists, too. Alison Krause grew up playing music, and once she began singing publicly her vocals were an instant hit. Besides her music, Emmy Lou is involved in some worthy causes, such as the American Humane Society. She is also one of the stars who have banded together to put an end to the destructive practices of mountaintop removal coal mining. (http://www.musicsavesmountains.com ) Everyone has interests besides their consuming career, and I have to say that I always appreciated those 4-H commercial spots that Reba McEntire did a few years ago. If you were a 4-H-er yourself, you know what I mean. Behind her music is a super lady.

No list would be complete without Crystal Gayle. Her STAR on the Hollywood Walk of Fame will be in place on October 2, 2009. And the next on my list is the sultry-voiced Wynonna. Her distinctive style really separates her from other singers. Wynonna will be appearing as Wynonna and as The Judds at the June 13, 2009 Country Music Association's Festival in Nashville.

Kathy Mattea is another country music star involved in Music Saves Mountains. Her new album, "COAL", is a compilation of mining song standards, but she has really made this album into a portrait of the Appalachian coal miners' way of life.

Cross-over artist Amy Grant is the best selling artist of all time in the Christian music genre, and her boundless talent allows her to flow between Christian, country, pop . . . her music appeals to an extremely wide audience. Amy and husband, Vince Gill, are launching "Challenge America" at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on June 8, 2009. They will be joined by a host of country music stars for the event. "Challenge America" is an initiative to help communities across the US provide recreational and occupational programs for injured veterans and their families.

Links to individual artists' websites may be found:

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