New Generation of Country Music Stars

This book highlights 50 of the most important entertainers in contemporary country music, providing a brief biography of each artist with special emphasis on experiences that influenced their musical careers. The artists are divided into five categories: "e;The New Traditionalists"e; (artists such as George Strait, Reba McEntire, and Clint Black who established the mainstream country sound in the 1980s); "e;Alternative Country"e; (artists such as Steve Earle and Bela Fleck who made country music on their own terms); "e;Groups"e; (ensemble acts such as Alabama, the Dixie Chicks, and Rascal Flatts that have carried on the traditions of the Carter Family and other prominent groups of the 1920s and 1930s); "e;Country-Pop"e; (artists such as Garth Brooks and Shania Twain who firmly established the "e;countrypolitan"e; sound as the cash cow of Nashville); and "e;New Country"e; (the next generation of country-pop artists, with particular attention paid to international megastars such as Keith Urban, and teen sensations, including LeAnn Rimes and Taylor Swift).