I’ve always hated C and W music. But surfing the channels the other day I saw a video by Rascal Flats…not bad. So I bought the cd. Is there anything else I’ve been missing? No old school stuff…not ready for that.
I bet you’d like Tim McGraw - he’s got a great voice and cute, too! He’s not old school at all, sounds nothing like the old stuff. Try listening to “Where The Green Grass Grows”. That was one of the songs that got me into country music! I too used to be a country hater!
Gary Allen is good too - he’s got a really unique voice that almost sounds like he’s crying sometimes. I saw him in concert and he was great.
George Strait, but he might be too old school for you. He has 50 #1 hits, more than any single artist in ANY genre, if that tells you anything!
Email’s in my profile, if you want more suggestions. I’ll do anything to get country-haters to change their mind. And by the by, the old school stuff is the best.
I would recommend checking out some Bluegrass - Try the soundtrack to “O Brother, Where art thou?”. There’s some awesome music on there.
Hal Ketchum.
“Resistance is futile. You WILL be assimilated.”
I second Hal Ketchum.
Neal McCoy is good, too.
I’m not a country fan, but I like Lucinda Williams.
You got BOTH kinds…country AND western? Isn’t there some kind of Nashville-Hisenberg uncertainty principle to where you can’t have them both at the same time?
I don’t really think Rascal Flatts is country.
They are kind of the boy band who couldn’t make it in Pop music, so they decided to be country instead.
I like country music, I just can’t stand these people who seem to want to be pop singers, but can’t make it. So they try country.
In any case, if you like Rascal Flatts, you’d LOVE Shania Twain.
Catch the Opry sometime. There’s a bit of corn on it occasionally – okay, a lot of the time—but there’s some worthy things on the show, especially if you read the agenda.
You also might want to try out the ‘Outlaw’ sub-genre. There’s some great music in there. Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnnie Cash.
Oh, and please, please listen to John Prine. Especially his first album, “John Prine” (the one with him sitting on some hay bales). It’s as much folk as country, but that album represents perhaps the strongest collection of songwriting in the last 30 years. Almost every song on the CD has become a classic, covered dozens of times.
You can get that CD at ‘Value Saver’. Pricing. Under 10 bucks. One of the best values in music.
After reading your post I asked a friend about John Prine. He said he was great and would burn me a cd.
It’s hard to make a suggestion without knowing what you’re looking for.
Are you looking for great lyrics? Smooth vocals? Do you want to laugh or cry? Dance or drink beer? You like steel guitar? How important are fiddles?
I’m old school, and the CDs I play the most are Hank Williams (Senior), Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash (young and old, the American Recordings and the Sun Sessions), Dwight Yoakam, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Rodney Crowell and Ricky Van Shelton (what a voice).
Don’t really know anything about the new acts. Don’t care either. When I was growing up we had one radio station and it only played for two hours a night and you could only listen after all the work was done and we liked it that way! 
I really dont know…been listening to some old school since I started this thread…kinda sad. I think I’ll buy a compilation cd.
I’d recommend Dwight Yoakum. He’s covered a number of rock songs over the years. He’s one of the artists that got me into country. Alan Jackson is another. And there’s the old stand-by, Garth Brooks. Most people that don’t like country usually like at least one or two of Garth’s songs, whereas most people that really like country can’t stand any of 'em.
Female artists that you might like are the Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain. (I like her early stuff, her middle years have been horrible IMO, but I’m liking the stuff I’m hearing on her latest CD).
Happy
Lucinda Williams is a terrific artist, BUT…
if you want some “must have” country music you have to get you some:
George Jones (preferably his first Greatest Hits collection - he’s got a pink leisure suit on in the cover photo, you can’t miss it.
Merle Haggard
Johnny Cash
Hank Williams (not Hank Williams, Jr.)
Patsy Cline
Randy Travis is a good country artist. You should check out some of his greatest hits CDs. All his songs are great.
Johnny Cash is WONDERFUL. So is George Jones.
I also agree that Patsy Cline and Hank Williams Sr are great.
I actually also like Hank Williams Jr.
And Roland, given your user name I’m guessing you like Warren Zevon? Dwight Yoakim has sung backup vocals and co-written a couple of Warren Zevon songs (“Heartache Spoken Here” for example), so you might find his stuff up your alley.
I agree with all of Sam Stone’s great suggestions and can’t resist adding one of my own. Try the bluegrass great Doc Watson (best CD is “On Stage, 1970”). He’s an old school bluegrass guitar picker - not C&W - absolutely fantastic!
For something more comtemporary, try Patty Griffin’s Living With Ghosts. Great song writer. Belts 'em out. No twang.
UMMM…well, my user name actually is from a series of Stephen King books. “THE DARK TOWER”. The main character is named Roland…And he’s a Gunslinger.
I like “Werewolves of London”