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Had this idea because of the country music artist of the decade show thing they had for George Strait a handful of years ago. I found it odd that they were just now giving him that award, because he was probably one of the few bearable country artists of the 90s and I think he was legitimately great during the 80s. I'll do my list of country artists of each decade from the 50s on, but y'all feel free to do y'all's lists how you please.
btw: This list was done without doing any sort of real research. If I took time to listen to more music and try to figure out a formula, it might be different. Instead I just decided to wing it.
50s: Hank Williams
- Hank was already dead through the majority of the 50s, but his large back catalog of songs recorded throughout the 40s and early 50s continued to be released throughout the decade. His influence on the genre, though mostly lost on today's mainstream artists, is immense.
60s: Johnny Cash
- I've always thought Johnny Cash was better at creating singles than he was at creating albums, but his live prison albums are truly something to behold. The performances at Folsom and San Quentin are enhanced by a great prison crowd enjoying the man in black playing the songs that made him famous. Plus all those great singles that came out during the decade.
70s: Loretta Lynn
- I had a difficult time deciding which artist to choose during the 70s. I was leaning towards Kris Kristofferson, and he would have been a respectable choice, but I went with Loretta instead. She is the first lady I think of when I think of the female country singers, and her hits are top tier stuff for the genre. "Fist City" is also one of the funnest songs I've ever heard and probably the main reason I chose Loretta as the country artist of the decade.
80s & 90s: George Strait
- I have described George Strait as a guilty pleasure before, but I think that's a bit unfair to George. I do kind of see him like I do the Simpsons though, and that's probably why I hesitate before admitting that I like him. His 80s output is by far his best. That was back when he utilized Texas swing with the West Texas fiddle to create some truly fun honky-tonk tunes. I listened to his first three albums on a car ride from Tennessee back to Oklahoma today, and I don't feel ashamed to admit that I love George Strait. The quality of his output has dropped by a huge margin, but I can overlook that and remember the 80s.
He's probably the choice for the 90s by default. He still kicked out some really enjoyable hits in the 90s, but his regression was showing by the end of the decade. I can't say that I blame him though; at that point he could do anything he wanted, he was already the King of country music and Texas. The people were going to buy his albums regardless. Country music started getting really poppy, in a bad way, during the 90s with the immense popularity of acts like Shania Twain. The 80s weren't really that much better, to be honest, as even the "traditional" country acts of that decade don't really do it for me. George Strait is one of the very few artists of those decades that I'd care to listen to at all.
2000s: Johnny Cash
- Talk about the cupboard being bare; this is basically another default selection. Johnny Cash had three albums released during the decade, and they are good enough for him to be the artist of the decade for me. I'm looking to explore more underground country music, so hopefully someday I can update this list and maybe have some changes here or there. Until then, Johnny Cash is my artist of the decade. He wasn't extremely prolific during the aughts, but his quality is so much higher than any other country artist in the same time span that it's ridiculous. And "Hurt" was a huge hit, deservedly so.
2010s: Sturgill Simpson (so far)
- I'm seeing non-mainstream country artists gain popularity nowadays, which either means people are finally opening their eyes or I am just now opening mine. Sturgill Simpson has released three albums, and he is unlike most artists out there. He's not bringing any boring cliches to his lyrics. He's continuously growing and expanding his range and finding his voice. His first album was a straight-forward country album, and it is great. Then he started experimenting a little more, and his second album was even better than his first for it. I haven't listened to his third album all the way through yet, but I plan on it soon. I love what he could do for country music, he could take it to another level as far as experimenting with the genre goes.
I might try some other genres tomorrow or maybe even just an overall list encompassing all genres
btw: This list was done without doing any sort of real research. If I took time to listen to more music and try to figure out a formula, it might be different. Instead I just decided to wing it.
50s: Hank Williams
- Hank was already dead through the majority of the 50s, but his large back catalog of songs recorded throughout the 40s and early 50s continued to be released throughout the decade. His influence on the genre, though mostly lost on today's mainstream artists, is immense.
60s: Johnny Cash
- I've always thought Johnny Cash was better at creating singles than he was at creating albums, but his live prison albums are truly something to behold. The performances at Folsom and San Quentin are enhanced by a great prison crowd enjoying the man in black playing the songs that made him famous. Plus all those great singles that came out during the decade.
70s: Loretta Lynn
- I had a difficult time deciding which artist to choose during the 70s. I was leaning towards Kris Kristofferson, and he would have been a respectable choice, but I went with Loretta instead. She is the first lady I think of when I think of the female country singers, and her hits are top tier stuff for the genre. "Fist City" is also one of the funnest songs I've ever heard and probably the main reason I chose Loretta as the country artist of the decade.
80s & 90s: George Strait
- I have described George Strait as a guilty pleasure before, but I think that's a bit unfair to George. I do kind of see him like I do the Simpsons though, and that's probably why I hesitate before admitting that I like him. His 80s output is by far his best. That was back when he utilized Texas swing with the West Texas fiddle to create some truly fun honky-tonk tunes. I listened to his first three albums on a car ride from Tennessee back to Oklahoma today, and I don't feel ashamed to admit that I love George Strait. The quality of his output has dropped by a huge margin, but I can overlook that and remember the 80s.
He's probably the choice for the 90s by default. He still kicked out some really enjoyable hits in the 90s, but his regression was showing by the end of the decade. I can't say that I blame him though; at that point he could do anything he wanted, he was already the King of country music and Texas. The people were going to buy his albums regardless. Country music started getting really poppy, in a bad way, during the 90s with the immense popularity of acts like Shania Twain. The 80s weren't really that much better, to be honest, as even the "traditional" country acts of that decade don't really do it for me. George Strait is one of the very few artists of those decades that I'd care to listen to at all.
2000s: Johnny Cash
- Talk about the cupboard being bare; this is basically another default selection. Johnny Cash had three albums released during the decade, and they are good enough for him to be the artist of the decade for me. I'm looking to explore more underground country music, so hopefully someday I can update this list and maybe have some changes here or there. Until then, Johnny Cash is my artist of the decade. He wasn't extremely prolific during the aughts, but his quality is so much higher than any other country artist in the same time span that it's ridiculous. And "Hurt" was a huge hit, deservedly so.
2010s: Sturgill Simpson (so far)
- I'm seeing non-mainstream country artists gain popularity nowadays, which either means people are finally opening their eyes or I am just now opening mine. Sturgill Simpson has released three albums, and he is unlike most artists out there. He's not bringing any boring cliches to his lyrics. He's continuously growing and expanding his range and finding his voice. His first album was a straight-forward country album, and it is great. Then he started experimenting a little more, and his second album was even better than his first for it. I haven't listened to his third album all the way through yet, but I plan on it soon. I love what he could do for country music, he could take it to another level as far as experimenting with the genre goes.
I might try some other genres tomorrow or maybe even just an overall list encompassing all genres
Last edited by jiraffejustin; 07-13-16 at 04:36 AM.