Uncovering the Next Generation's Hall of Fame
Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Country Artists of All-Time
In 2017, Rolling Stone published its list of the 100 Greatest Country Artists of All-Time, most of whom have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame. See below to see who could be next.
★ = Hall of Famer
Billboard's 100 Greatest Country Artists of All-Time
In 2024, Billboard published a list of list of the 100 Greatest Country Artists of All-Time. Here is their explanation behind their selections:
In determining these rankings, members of the Billboard editorial staff selected their top artists from a list of nearly 200 names spanning the past century. Certain parameters were set, including focusing primarily on mainstream country artists, instead of embracing adjacent genres like Americana or bluegrass (therefore, no Jason Isbell or Sturgill Simpson).While commercial success was a factor, artistry, longevity and enduring influence counted just as much. Because it’s too early to gauge the long-term impact of many of the newer acts yet, the list leans largely on artists whose place in country music history is already secure. But everyone on the list has in their own way moved the genre forward.
Billboard's 100 Top Charting Country Artists of All-Time
In 2016, Billboard ranked the 100 Top Country Artists of All-Time based on their performance on the Hot Country Songs (1958-1964) and Top Country Albums (1964-2016) charts.
Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Country Albums of All-Time
In 2022, Rolling Stone updated its list of the 100 Greatest Country Albums of All-Time. Surprisingly, only about half of the artists are in the Hall of Fame, speaking to the exclusive nature of the institution. Who should be next?
★ = Hall of Famer
| Rank | Hall of Fame? | Artist | Album |
| 1 | ★ | Dolly Parton | Coat Of Many Colors [1971] |
| 2 | ★ | Waylon Jennings | Dreaming My Dreams [1975] |
| 3 | ★ | Willie Nelson | Red Headed Stranger [1975] |
| 4 | ★ | Ray Charles | Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music [1962] |
| 5 | Currently Eligible | The Chicks | Fly [1999] |
| 6 | Currently Eligible | Lucinda Williams | Car Wheels On A Gravel Road [1998] |
| 7 | ★ | Merle Haggard | Serving 190 Proof [1979] |
| 8 | Currently Eligible | Shania Twain | Come On Over [1997] |
| 9 | ★ | Randy Travis | Storms Of Life [1986] |
| 10 | Eligible in 2026 | Taylor Swift | Fearless [2008] |
| 11 | ★ | Johnny Cash | At Folsom Prison [1968] |
| 12 | ★ | The Judds | Why Not Me [1984] |
| 13 | Currently Eligible | Miranda Lambert | The Weight Of These Wings [2016] |
| 14 | ★ | George Jones | I Am What I Am [1980] |
| 15 | ★ | Patsy Cline | Showcase [1961] |
| 16 | ★ | Tom T. Hall | In Search Of A Song [1971] |
| 17 | ★ | Loretta Lynn | Coal Miner’s Daughter [1970] |
| 18 | Currently Eligible | Gary Stewart | Out Of Hand [1975] |
| 19 | ★ | George Strait | Strait From The Heart [1982] |
| 20 | Currently Eligible | Rosanne Cash | Seven Year Ache [1981] |
| 21 | ★ | Kris Kristofferson | Kristofferson [1970] |
| 22 | Currently Eligible | John Prine | John Prine [1971] |
| 23 | ★ | The Carter Family | Can The Circle Be Unbroken: Country Music’s First Family [2000] |
| 24 | Currently Eligible | Guy Clark | Old No. 1 [1975] |
| 25 | Eligible in 2033 | Sturgill Simpson | Metamodern Sounds In Country Music [2014] |
| 26 | ★ | John Anderson | Wild & Blue [1982] |
| 27 | Currently Eligible | Sammi Smith | Help Me Make It Through The Night [1970] |
| 28 | ★ | Waylon Jennings | Honky Tonk Heroes [1973] |
| 29 | ★ | Hank Williams | Moanin The Blues [1952] |
| 30 | Eligible in 2032 | Kacey Musgraves | Golden Hour [2018] |
| 31 | Currently Eligible | Clint Black | Killin’ Time [1989] |
| 32 | Currently Eligible | Johnny Paycheck | Take This Job And Shove It [1977] |
| 33 | ★ | Emmylou Harris | Pieces Of The Sky [1975] |
| 34 | Eligible in 2035 | Chris Stapleton | Traveller [2015] |
| 35 | ★ | Johnny Cash | American II: Unchained [1996] |
| 36 | ★ | Merle Haggard and the Strangers | I’m A Lonesome Fugitive [1967] |
| 37 | ★ | Charley Pride | Charley Pride’s 10th Album [1970] |
| 38 | Currently Eligible | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Will The Circle Be Unbroken [1972] |
| 39 | ★ | Willie Nelson | Stardust [1978] |
| 40 | Currently Eligible | Lee Ann Womack | I Hope You Dance [2000] |
| 41 | ★ | Garth Brooks | No Fences [1990] |
| 42 | ★ | Tanya Tucker | While I’m Livin’ [2019] |
| 43 | Eligible in 2026 | Eric Church | Chief [2011] |
| 44 | ★ | Jimmie Rodgers | RCA Country Legends [2002] |
| 45 | Currently Eligible | Charlie Rich | Behind Closed Doors [1973] |
| 46 | ★ | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | Anthology 1935-1973 [1991] |
| 47 | ★ | Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris | Trio [1987] |
| 48 | ★ | Jerry Lee Lewis | Another Place Another Time [1968] |
| 49 | ★ | Tammy Wynette | D-I-V-O-R-C-E [1968] |
| 50 | Currently Eligible | Iris DeMent | Infamous Angel [1992] |
| 51 | ★ | Willie Nelson | Phases And Stages [1974] |
| 52 | Currently Eligible | Gillian Welch | Time (The Revelator) [2001] |
| 53 | Currently Eligible | Steve Earle | Guitar Town [1986] |
| 54 | Eligible in 2031 | Pistol Annies | Hell On Heels [2011] |
| 55 | ★ | Roger Miller | Roger And Out [1964] |
| 56 | Currently Eligible | Jeannie C. Riley | Harper Valley P.T.A. [1968] |
| 57 | ★ | Reba McEntire | Rumor Has It [1990] |
| 58 | Currently Eligible | Terry Allen | Lubbock (On Everything) [1979] |
| 59 | ★ | Merle Haggard and the Strangers | Mama Tried [1966] |
| 60 | Currently Eligible | Bobbie Gentry | Ode To Billie Joe [1967] |
| 61 | ★ | Patty Loveless | When Fallen Angels Fly [1994] |
| 62 | ★ | Lefty Frizzell | Look What Thoughts Will Do [1951] |
| 63 | ★ | Buck Owens | Carnegie Hall Concert [1966] |
| 64 | Currently Eligible | Various Artists | From Where I Stand: The Black Experience In Country Music [1998] |
| 65 | ★ | Flatt & Scruggs | Foggy Mountain Jamboree [1957] |
| 66 | Currently Eligible | Dwight Yoakam | This Time [1993] |
| 67 | ★ | George Jones and Tammy Wynette | Golden Ring [1976] |
| 68 | Currently Eligible | Jerry Jeff Walker | Viva Terlingua [1973] |
| 69 | ★ | The Louvin Brothers | Satan Is Real [1959] |
| 70 | Currently Eligible | Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard | Hazel & Alice [1973] |
| 71 | ★ | Dolly Parton | Here You Come Again [1977] |
| 72 | ★ | Elvis Presley | Elvis Country (Im A Thousand Years Old) [1971] |
| 73 | Currently Eligible | Linda Martell | Color Me Country [1970] |
| 74 | Eligible in 2029 | Jason Isbell | Southeastern [2013] |
| 75 | Currently Eligible | Mary Chapin Carpenter | Come On Come On [1992] |
| 76 | ★ | Hank Williams Jr. | Whiskey Bent And Hell Bound [1979] |
| 77 | Currently Eligible | Dierks Bentley | Up On The Ridge [2010] |
| 78 | ★ | Alan Jackson | Don’t Rock The Jukebox [1991] |
| 79 | Currently Eligible | Alison Krauss & Union Station | Every Time You Say Goodbye [1992] |
| 80 | ★ | Vince Gill | When Love Finds You [1994] |
| 81 | Eligible in 2036 | Margo Price | Midwest Farmers Daughter [2016] |
| 82 | Eligible in 2033 | Brandy Clark | 12 Stories [2013] |
| 83 | Currently Eligible | Freddy Fender | Before The Next Teardrop Falls [1974] |
| 84 | Currently Eligible | Jessi Colter | I’m Jessi Colter [1975] |
| 85 | ★ | Marty Robbins | Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs [1959] |
| 86 | Currently Eligible | Brad Paisley | American Saturday Night [2009] |
| 87 | Currently Eligible | Faith Hill | Faith [1998] |
| 88 | ★ | Glen Campbell | Ghost On The Canvas [2011] |
| 89 | Currently Eligible | Maddox Brothers and Rose | Americas Most Colorful Hillbilly Band: Their Original Recordings 1946-1951, Vol. 1 [1961] |
| 90 | ★ | Hank Snow | The Essential Hank Snow [1997] |
| 91 | ★ | Connie Smith | Connie Smith [1965] |
| 92 | Currently Eligible | The Flying Burrito Brothers | The Gilded Palace Of Sin [1969] |
| 93 | Eligible in 2039 | The Highwomen | The Highwomen [2019] |
| 94 | ★ | Kenny Rogers | The Gambler [1978] |
| 95 | ★ | Ernest Tubb And His Texas Troubadours | The Ernest Tubb Story [1959] |
| 96 | ★ | Hank Thompson | A Six Pack To Go [1966] |
| 97 | Currently Eligible | The Flatlanders | More A Legend Than A Band [1990] |
| 98 | Currently Eligible | Keith Urban | Golden Road [2002] |
| 99 | ★ | Kitty Wells | Kitty Wells Country Hit Parade [1956] |
| 100 | Currently Eligible | Kenny Chesney | No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem [2002] |
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