What is your country music triumvirate?

[Radical Activist]

Mine:

1) Willie Nelson

2) Steve Earle

3) Hank III

[HopeHoops]

1. Any of the pre-Ricky Scaggs stuff

[stuntcat]

2. mine :D

1) Gillian Welch

2) Dolly Parton

3) Lyle Lovette (? .. I like Steve Earle & Willis Nelson too. Picking out a third is hard)

[Radical Activist]

5. yes.

very nice list.

[taterguy]

3. Doc Watson, Hank Williams, James Talley

Doc Watson because he lives in some of my favorite country

Hank Williams because he's in my triumvirate of Great American Music Influences in General (The others being Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson)

James Talley because Jimmy Carter was a fan and Talley taught me how to open CD cases

[GOPisEvil]

4. My "All from Austin" list.

1. Kelly Willis

2. The Derailers

3. The Gourds

[peacefreak]

6. Willie Nelson

Emmylou Harris
Johnny Cash
Can't get much better than that.

[Shell Beau]

7. Waylon, Willie, and the boys!

:P

I also love Johnny Cash. And I will say it... Garth Brooks.

[Radical Activist]

33. I just want you to know

that it took great effort not to complain vociferously about Garth Brooks being mentioned in this thread. :)

[Shell Beau]

34. I know!!! He certainly isn't Johnny Cash, but I do love him!

:o

[jobycom]

37. Why? He was brilliant.

He ushered in one of the strongest eras of country music, had an incredible voice, and elevated the entire industry out of the mire of mediocrity. Didn't last long enough, but without him acts like Trisha Yearwood and the Mavericks were able to get airtime, and country actually allowed some experimentation for a while.

After country's golden era, he was the most influential and one of the best.

And I use past tense because at some point he lost his mojo and just started mailing it in.

[EastTennesseeDem]

8. 1.) Johnny Cash

2 & 3) Johnny Cash

[Common Sense Party]

19. I couldn't have said it better.

Your list is 100% right on the money.

[jobycom]

41. He was great, don't get me wrong, but he wasn't that great.

I grew up having to defend loving Johnny Cash, and now I find myself having to explain that Willie was better, that Waylon Jennings should get as much love as Cash, that Dolly is perhaps the most underrated songwriter in any genre in music history. I'd put him in the top ten, and at times I might put him in the top three, but if he's all you know, you've missed a lot of great music.

[EastTennesseeDem]

49. He's not all I know.

I love Willie Nelson and Hank Williams and I like Waylon Jennings quite a bit. But Cash's music spoke to me in a way no other country artist could ever touch, partially because I've never liked country music as a whole that much.

[no name no slogan]

9. Mine:

1) The Carter Family (no Carters, no country)

2) Hank Williams Sr.

3) Buck Owens

But I could add several more, easily.

[JVS]

10. Bocephus, The Chucky Cheez Band, and any drunk buffoon of your choice.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

11. Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, George Jones. n/t

[auburngrad82]

31. My choices as well. nt

[Tuesday Afternoon]

32. That was tough because there are others mentioned here that I like

just as well but, these three seem to epitomize "Country" for me. :hi:

[Bake]

46. Can't argue with you there! Maybe add Willie and make it a 4-way.

Bake

[femmocrat]

12. Patsy Kline, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn.

I prefer the "old stuff" LOL

[Radical Activist]

30. i love loretta lynn

Beautiful voice and she never seemed fake about what she sang.

[trof]

13. Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and...THE FOGGY MOUNTAIN BOYS!

I just like the names.
;-)

[Swede]

14. Dwight Yoakam,Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.

Steve Earle and close 4th.

[elshiva]

15. Sure. :-)

1. Carter Family

2. Willie Nelson

3. Hank Williams, Sr.

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. A nuke in Tennessee, a nuke in Texas, and a nuke at whatever the world's largest country fest is

[jobycom]

43. You like Rush. You shouldn't talk about music. nt

[recoveringdittohed]

17. Hank Williams Sr, Willie Nelson & George Jones

I'm old school.

[LuckyTheDog]

18. Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash, Flatt and Scruggs (nt)

[Wapsie B]

20. Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings.

[Zomby Woof]

21. Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard

But the triumvirate of Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Sr., and the Carter Family watches over them all.

[Radical Activist]

28. Yes.

They're the great triumvirate in the sky.

[kwassa]

22. Hank Williams the one and only, Dwight Yoakum, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys

[Orrex]

23. Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, and Shania

On second thought, I mean :puke:

[SoxFan]

24. Here's one that's gonna piss someone off

Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakum, and...

Mike Ness.

Putting aside his overtly country solo stuff, a lot of Social Distortions work is basically Hank Sr. with a stack of Marshalls in terms of lyrics and song structure. Hell, Ness himself admits as much.

[abq e streeter]

25. Thanks for noticing that about Social D... thought maybe I was imagining that

[SoxFan]

27. Social D is more country than any Nashville "Biff In A Stetson"

Most of what I hear on country radio is mainstream pap. Twenty years ago, it would have been recorded by Sheena Easton or released as a hair metal ballad. I'm sorry, but adding a lap steel to a Warrant b-side does not equal country.

[Radical Activist]

29. Don't forget

the contrived twang inserted at the end of every line in the chorus.

[abq e streeter]

26. Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Hank Sr.

[Iggo]

35. There it is, right there. (n/t)

[abq e streeter]

36. Thanks , just my 3; cases can be made for George Jones, Buck Owens, Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff

Merle Haggard...and for that matter, Elvis

[Tuesday Afternoon]

38. yes.yes.yes,yes.yes.and HELL.YES

:bounce:

[jobycom]

39. Hank, Willie, Dolly.

[Strong Atheist]

40. Other. I loath country music. nt.

[jobycom]

42. It's a flaw you can overcome if you work hard on it.

Don't be a Bush. Don't be proud of narrow-mindedness. :)

[Strong Atheist]

44. You like country music, I think it

sucks. That is the great thing about this country...

[jobycom]

45. yeah, but it's the pride with which you say it.

As though it is a virtue.

[Are_grits_groceries]

47. 1 - Patsy Cline

2 - Hank
3 - Dolly

[Z_I_Peevey]

48. Hank-Dolly-Merle

That's a tough one. Ask me tomorrow and I might change it. Still needs Willie. Needs Patsy. Could use a little Dixie Chick too.