It’s easier to decide the best country singer from some states than it is others. There are just too many from Kentucky and Arkansas to decide quickly, and there are too few from South Dakota and Idaho to make it much of a competition.
It’s likely that some states have never even been represented on the Top 40 of country music’s airplay charts (looking at you, Maine!), while others seem to anchor the Top 10 every week (we see you working, Georgia). Geographically, there is no parity in country music.
As for states like Hawaii and Nevada? Well, to find the best country artist from these states we had to get a little creative and remain open-minded about the definition of “country.” Hey, they can’t all be Texas, where George Strait, George Jones and Willie Nelson battled for the title of best singer from the state.
Scroll down to find your home state and then let us know on Twitter if we got it wrong or missed someone obvious. This list of the best country singers from every state sticks to recording artists and counts any act who was born in — or spent significant time in — the state they’re representing. That’s critical to understanding our choices for Montana and Utah, two states with legends that are not typically associated with either of them. Included in each state listing is the runners-up and contemporary artists who have a chance of becoming No. 1 in the future.