by Tina Smith

Created on: April 16, 2008

Hundreds are the singers that have waltzed through this world and given just to country music alone the most memorable of voices. I have loved it my entire life, raised my kids on it, and through my granddaughters, experience an entire new group of singers than those that I myself loved when I was young. There are many singers that I will never forget, personally, but I will attempt to list some of those that really are memorable, and have stood the test of time whether they were appreciated before their deaths, or just gaining respect afterward. Some of these people have left us, and some do still remain, but they have all stood out in ways that make them classics, and parts of this genre that we could never have done without.

-Carl Smith was one of my favorites when I was a young gal. I was smitten with him, thought him handsome and I loved his music. Some say that I even married my ex husband to gain the last name of the man that I coveted (not true at all). But his music speaks for itself, I think. Classic and tender, his songs are often a bit edgy for country music. A couple favorites; 'Take my ring off your finger', and 'There she goes'.

-Vern Gosdin is known as 'The Voice', and is that ever the truth! His voice is velvet with a twang and his songs are beautiful. He is known for up-tempo tear-jerkers like 'Set 'em up Joe', and 'That just about does it, don't it'. My personal favorite haunting tune is 'Chiseled in stone', which is a harrowing tale about a young man who, after a fight with his wife, sets down at a bar, and hears the woeful story from the bartender who tells him that it isn't worth fighting, as you are far lonelier when that loved one is dead.

-Conway Twitty, though not my personal favorite, he is one that I love. His music is ballsy, and he sings often about sex, it seems. Conway is a classic country artist that is revered by all, and has been gone from us for over fourteen years. His classic songs, though, live on. 'Hello Darlin', his trademark, is one of the best songs in country music.

-George Jones has had quite a career. He has been through the ringer with his drinking problems, and has even been known to take a little recreational drugs on the side. All in all, he remains one of, if not the most popular singer in all of country music living today. Cited by the likes of Vince Gill, and Randy Travis, George Jones paved the way for many of our younger singers. His sorrowful tale 'He stopped loving her today' is world renowned, and heralded

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