2008 – Page 56 – Country Universe

100 Greatest Women, #21: Linda Ronstadt

June 9, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 23

100 Greatest Women #21 Linda Ronstadt She has a restless musical spirit, recording so many different styles successfully that no genre can fully claim her as their own. But it is her country recordings that

100 Greatest Women, #22: Wanda Jackson

June 8, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 5

100 Greatest Women #22 Wanda Jackson The original rockabilly queen. When Wanda Jackson heeded Elvis Presley’s advice and put some rock in her country, she shattered all conventions associated with her gender’s place in country

100 Greatest Women, #23: Crystal Gayle

June 7, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 8

100 Greatest Women, #24: Connie Smith

June 7, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 12

100 Greatest Women #24 Connie Smith “There’s really only three female singers in the world: Streisand, Ronstadt and Connie Smith. The rest of us are just pretending.” – Dolly Parton Connie Smith was born in

Lee Ann Womack, “Last Call”

June 7, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 12

One of Lee Ann Womack’s greatest strengths as an artist is picking adult material that resonates with both traditional and alternative country music fans. Her new single, “Last Call”, is reminiscent of her now-classic hit

100 Greatest Women, #25: Faith Hill

June 6, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 14

100 Greatest Women #25 Faith Hill The story of Faith Hill begins in the small town of Star, Mississippi. When she was only nine years old, she saw Elvis Presley in concert and knew immediately

100 Greatest Women, #26: Martina McBride

June 5, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 19

100 Greatest Women #26 Martina McBride With a big voice and a taste for topical material, Martina McBride has been one of the most consistently successful female country acts of the past fifteen years. She

Lady Antebellum, “Lookin’ For a Good Time”

June 5, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 5

I hate to dump on a new artist, particularly an act that shows such promise as Lady Antebellum. But to my ears, this sounds like a complete trainwreck. It’s novel having a mixed-gender group release

100 Greatest Women, #27: Kathy Mattea

June 4, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 7

100 Greatest Women #27 Kathy Mattea She was a gifted child who had been skipped a grade, who then dropped out of college and followed her songwriting boyfriend to Nashville. He had given up his

100 Greatest Women, #28: Anne Murray

June 3, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 7

100 Greatest Women #28 Anne Murray There may never have been a more unassuming female superstar than Anne Murray, who quietly built up an impressive run of hits that stretched two decades long. All this