30+ amazing female country singers you should add to your playlist
Country music has always had a special place in the hearts of many, and women's incredible voices undeniably enhance it. The amazing female country singers ever have dominated the charts, broken barriers, and inspired generations of musicians and fans alike. Discover some amazing female country singers you should add to your playlist.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Amazing female country singers
- 1. Carrie Underwood
- 2. Dolly Parton
- 3. Reba McEntire
- 4. Loretta Lynn
- 5. Patsy Cline
- 6. Miranda Lambert
- 7. Tammy Wynette
- 8. Shania Twain
- 9. Taylor Swift
- 10. Faith Hill
- 11. Emmylou Harris
- 12. Kacey Musgraves
- 13. Martina McBride
- 14. Trisha Yearwood
- 15. Ashley McBryde
- 16. Carly Pearce
- 17. Patty Loveless
- 18. Tanya Tucker
- 19. Kitty Wells
- 20. Crystal Gayle
- 21. Barbara Mandrell
- 22. June Carter Cash
- 23. Maren Morris
- 24. Kelsea Ballerini
- 25. Lee Ann Womack
- 26. Dottie West
- 27. Pam Tillis
- 28. Gabby Barrett
- 29. Rosanne Cash
- 30. Alison Krauss
- 31. Lainey Wilson
- 32. Lorrie Morgan
- 33. Connie Smith
To create this list of amazing female country singers, we considered the singer's vocal talent, chart performance, influence on the genre, songwriting ability, awards and recognitions, and fan base size. We also used data from credible sources like Billboard, Rolling Stone and streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Amazing female country singers
Country music history features some of the best female country singers. These women have significantly influenced the genre and helped pave the way for female country stars today. Below is a list of some of the best female country singers you will love listening to.
| No. | Name | Debut year |
| 1 | Carrie Underwood | 2005 |
| 2 | Dolly Parton | 1967 |
| 3 | Reba McEntire | 1977 |
| 4 | Loretta Lynn | 1960 |
| 5 | Patsy Cline | 1955 |
| 6 | Miranda Lambert | 2001 |
| 7 | Tammy Wynette | 1966 |
| 8 | Shania Twain | 1993 |
| 9 | Taylor Swift | 2006 |
| 10 | Faith Hill | 1993 |
| 11 | Emmylou Harris | 1969 |
| 12 | Kacey Musgraves | 2012 |
| 13 | Martina McBride | 1992 |
| 14 | Trisha Yearwood | 1991 |
| 15 | Ashley McBryde | 2006 |
| 16 | Carly Pearce | 2017 |
| 17 | Patty Loveless | 1986 |
| 18 | Tanya Tucker | 1972 |
| 19 | Kitty Wells | 1952 |
| 20 | Crystal Gayle | 1970 |
| 21 | Barbara Mandrell | 1969 |
| 22 | June Carter Cash | 1949 |
| 23 | Maren Morris | 2016 |
| 24 | Kelsea Ballerini | 2014 |
| 25 | Lee Ann Womack | 1997 |
1. Carrie Underwood
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Carrie Marie Underwood
- Date of birth: 10 March 1983
- Age: 41 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States
Underwood began her music career in 2004 and is known for hits like Before He Cheats and Jesus, Take the Wheel. She first rose to fame after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Over the years, she has won numerous awards, including seven Grammy Awards from 2007 to 2015.
2. Dolly Parton
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- Full name: Dolly Rebecca Parton
- Date of birth: 19 January 1946
- Age: 78 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Pittman Center, Tennessee, United States
Dolly Rebecca is one of the most famous female country singers known for her decades-long career in country music. She has released numerous hit songs and chart-topping albums, including 9 to 5, Odd Jobs and Backwoods Barbie. Her notable songs include Jolene, Coat of Many Colors, and 9 to 5. She is also one of the richest country singers in the world.
3. Reba McEntire
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- Full name: Reba Nell McEntire
- Date of birth: 28 March 1955
- Age: 69 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: McAlester, Oklahoma, United States
Dubbed "the Queen of Country", Reba began her career in the 1970s and gained fame with her hits such as Fancy and Is There Life Out There. Her popular albums include Whoever's in New England and For My Broken Heart. The singer has sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
4. Loretta Lynn
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- Full name: Loretta Lynn
- Date of birth: 14 April 1932
- Date of death: 4 October 2022
- Age at the time of death: 90
- Place of birth: Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, United States
Loretta Lynn became famous in the 1960s and 1970s with hits like Coal Miner’s Daughter, You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man), and The Pill. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums and won numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards.
5. Patsy Cline
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- Full name: Patsy Cline
- Date of birth: 8 September 1932
- Date of death: 5 March 1963
- Age at the time of death: 30
- Place of birth: Winchester, Virginia, United States
Patsy Cline was among the first country music artists to explore pop music. During her eight-year recording career, Cline released numerous hits, such as Crazy, I Fall to Pieces, and Walkin’ After Midnight. She is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century.
6. Miranda Lambert
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- Full name: Miranda Leigh Lambert
- Date of birth: 10 November 1983
- Age: 41 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Longview, Texas, United States
Miranda Leigh Lambert is among the 2000s female country singers. She began her career in early 2001 when she released her self-titled solo debut album. She is known for hit songs, including The House That Built Me, Gunpowder & Lead, and Mama’s Broken Heart.
7. Tammy Wynette
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- Full name: Tammy Wynette
- Date of birth: 5 May 1942
- Date of death: 6 April 1998
- Age at the time of death: 55
- Place of birth: Itawamba County, Mississippi, United States
Tammy Wynette is considered among country music's most influential and successful artists. She gained prominence for her signature song, Stand by Your Man. During her thirty-year career, Tammy released thirty studio albums, the last one being Without Walls (1994).
8. Shania Twain
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- Full name: Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain
- Date of birth: 28 August 1965
- Age: 59 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Windsor, Canada
Shania Twain is among the best-selling music artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in country music history, having sold over 100 million records. Her album Come On Over (1997) remains the best-selling studio album, featuring hit songs like Man! I Feel Like a Woman! and You're Still the One.
9. Taylor Swift
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- Full name: Taylor Alison Swift
- Date of birth: 13 December 1989
- Age: 34 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: West Reading, Pennsylvania, United States
Taylor Swift became the youngest solo artist to write and record a #1 hit on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart with the single Our Song. Her early albums, including Fearless and Speak Now, made her a country music sensation. She is among the richest singers of the country genre.
10. Faith Hill
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- Full name: Audrey Faith McGraw
- Date of birth: 21 September 1967
- Age: 57 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Ridgeland, Mississippi, United States
Faith Hill is considered among the most successful country music artists ever, having sold almost 50 million albums worldwide. Her first two albums, Take Me as I Am (1993) and It Matters to Me (1995), went multi-platinum. Her notable songs include There You Wi'll Be, This Kiss, Breathe, Wild One and Cry.
11. Emmylou Harris
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- Full name: Emmylou Harris
- Date of birth: 2 April 1947
- Age: 77 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Emmylou Harris is considered among the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana genre in the 1990s. Throughout her career, Harris has released numerous chart-topping hit songs and albums, including Pieces of the Sky, Elite Hotel, Quarter and Blue Kentucky Girl.
12. Kacey Musgraves
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- Full name: Kacey Lee Musgraves
- Date of birth: 21 August 1988
- Age: 36 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Golden, Texas, United States
Kacey Musgraves began her career in the early 2000s, self-releasing three solo albums. She rose to fame with her debut album, Same Trailer Different Park (2013), which included the hit single Merry Go 'Round. The album won her the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.
13. Martina McBride
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- Full name: Martina Mariea McBride
- Date of birth: 29 July 1966
- Age: 58 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Sharon, Kansas, United States
The American country music singer-songwriter is known for her soprano singing range and country pop material. She has released multiple platinum-selling albums, including Evolution, The Time Has Come, and Martina, and has sold over 14 million albums.
14. Trisha Yearwood
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- Full name: Patricia Lynn Yearwood
- Date of birth: 19 September 1964
- Age: 60 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Monticello, Georgia, United States
Patricia Lynn Yearwood gained prominence in 1991 after releasing her debut single, She's in Love with the Boy. She has since released various country hits, including Walkaway Joe and Believe Me Baby (I Lied).
15. Ashley McBryde
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- Full name: Ashley Dyan McBryde
- Date of birth: 29 July 1983
- Age: 41 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Waldron, Arkansas, United States
Ashley McBryde came into the limelight with her albums Jalopies & Expensive Guitars (2016) and Girl Going Nowhere (2018). She is known for songs like A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega, One Night Standards, and Stone.
16. Carly Pearce
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- Full name: Carly Pearce
- Date of birth: 24 April 1990
- Age: 34 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Taylor Mill, Kentucky, United States
The American country music singer-songwriter became famous in 2017 when she released her debut song, Every Little Thing. She released the popular Christmas album Mistletoe, Holly & Bluegrass in 2013. Carly Pearce’s music contains elements of both traditional and contemporary country-pop music.
17. Patty Loveless
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- Full name: Patty Loveless
- Date of birth: 4 January 1957
- Age: 67 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Pikeville, Kentucky, United States
Patty Loveless is one of the 80s female country singers known for her chart-topping hits such as Timber, I’m Falling in Love, Chains, Blame It on Your Heart, You Can Feel Bad, and Lonely Too Long. She won the CMA’s Female Vocalist in 1996. In 2023, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
18. Tanya Tucker
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- Full name: Tanya Denise Tucker
- Date of birth: 10 October 1958
- Age: 66 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Seminole, Texas, United States
Tucker began her career at age thirteen, releasing her debut album, Delta Dawn. She has had numerous successful albums and hit songs, including What's Your Mama's Name? Lizzie and the Rainman and Strong Enough to Bend. Her 2019 album While I'm Livin' won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.
19. Kitty Wells
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- Full name: Ellen Muriel Deason
- Date of birth: 30 August 1919
- Date of death: 16 July 2012
- Age at the time of death: 92
- Place of birth: Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Kitty Wells was a pioneering female country music singer in America. She chartered numerous singles, including It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels, Makin' Believe and She's No Angel. Wells ranks as the sixth most successful female vocalist in the history of the Billboard country charts.
20. Crystal Gayle
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- Full name: Brenda Gail Web
- Date of birth: 9 January 1951
- Age: 73 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Paintsville, Kentucky, United States
The American country music singer is best recognised for her 1977 hit Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue. She has also released numerous hit albums such as We Must Believe in Magic and When I Dream, both of which went platinum.
21. Barbara Mandrell
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- Full name: Barbara Ann Mandrell
- Date of birth: 25 December 1948
- Age: 75 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Houston, Texas, United States
Barbara Mandrell was one of the country's most successful music artists during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her most notable chart-topping hits include Sleeping Single in a Double Bed and If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right).
22. June Carter Cash
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- Full name: Valerie June Carter Cash
- Date of birth: 23 June 1929
- Date of death: 15 May 2003
- Age at the time of death: 73
- Place of birth: Maces Spring, Virginia, United States
June Carter Cash was one of the famous 80s singers. As a member of the Carter Family, June released numerous songs such as Keep on the Sunny Side, Bashful Rascal and Baby I Tried. She was a five-time Grammy Award-winning country singer ranked #31 on CMT's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music list in 2002.
23. Maren Morris
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- Full name: Maren Larae Morris
- Date of birth: 10 April 1990
- Age: 34 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Arlington, Texas, United States
Maren Morris is another amazing country musician from the United States. She became famous for her debut album Hero (2016), which featured hits like My Church and 80s Mercedes. Morris has won numerous accolades, including a Grammy Award and five Country Music Association Awards.
24. Kelsea Ballerini
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- Full name: Kelsea Nicole Ballerini
- Date of birth: 12 September 1993
- Age: 31 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Mascot, Tennessee, United States
Kelsea Nicole Ballerini is an American country pop singer and songwriter. She rose to stardom for her songs Love Me Like You Mean It and Dibs. Kelsea was named one of Country Music Television's Next Women of Country in 2014.
25. Lee Ann Womack
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- Full name: Lee Ann Womack
- Date of birth: 19 August 1966
- Age: 58 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Jacksonville, Texas, United States
Lee Ann Womack gained recognition for the hit single I Hope You Dance in 2000. She has albums, including Something Worth Leaving Behind and There's More Where That Came From. Lee has sold over six million albums globally and has won numerous Academy of Country Music Awards.
26. Dottie West
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- Full name: Dottie West
- Date of birth: 11 October 1932
- Date of death: 4 September 1991
- Age at the time of death: 58
- Place of birth: Tennessee, United States
Dottie West is considered one of the genre's most influential and groundbreaking female artists. She began her career in the early 1960s and became famous for hits such as Here Comes My Baby, A Lesson in Leavin' and Every Time Two Fools Collide.
27. Pam Tillis
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- Full name: Pamela Yvonne Tillis
- Date of birth: 24 July 1957
- Age: 67 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Plant City, Florida, United States
The daughter of country legend Mel Tillis, Pamela, rose to stardom after releasing her hit song Don't Tell Me What to Do. Her other hits include Maybe It Was Memphis and Shake the Sugar Tree. She has won three Country Music Association Awards and two Grammys.
28. Gabby Barrett
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- Full name: Gabby Bernadette Barrett
- Date of birth: 5 March 2000
- Age: 24 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Munhall, Pennsylvania, United States
Gabby Barnett is one of the young female country singers. In 2019, she released her debut single I Hope, which became a top three hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut album, Goldmine (2020), includes hit singles like The Good Ones.
29. Rosanne Cash
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- Full name: Rosanne Cash
- Date of birth: 24 May 1955
- Age: 69 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Rosanne Cash is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash. Throughout her career, which spans over four decades, she has released over fourteen albums, including Rosanne Cash, The Wheel, and The List. Her music combines many genres, including folk, pop, rock, and blues.
30. Alison Krauss
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- Full name: Alison Maria Krauss
- Date of birth: 23 July 1971
- Age: 53 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Decatur, Illinois, United States
Alison Krauss is widely recognised for her bluegrass and country genre work. As of 2024, Alison has won 27 Grammys, making her the fourth-winning musician in Grammy history. Alison has released several solo albums, including Too Late to Cry, I've Got That Old Feeling and Windy City.
31. Lainey Wilson
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- Full name: Lainey Denay Wilson
- Date of birth: 19 May 1992
- Age: 32 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Baskin, Louisiana, United States
The American country music singer-songwriter is famous for her songs, such as Things a Man Oughta Know, Heart Like a Truck, and Watermelon Moonshine. She has released studio albums, including Lainey Wilson, Tougher and Bell Bottom Country.
32. Lorrie Morgan
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- Full name: Loretta Lynn Morgan
- Date of birth: 27 June 1959
- Age: 65 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Lorrie Morgan, The daughter of the late country singer George Morgan, began her music career at 13. She gained widespread recognition for her late 1980s songs, such as Five Minutes, What Part of No, and I Didn't Know My Own Strength. As of this writing, she has released fourteen solo albums.
33. Connie Smith
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- Full name: Connie Smith
- Date of birth: 14 August 1941
- Age: 83 years old (as of 2024)
- Place of birth: Elkhart, Indiana, United States
Connie Smith is one of the oldest female country singers. She has been in the music industry since 1964 and has released over 30 studio albums, including Connie Smith, Cute 'n' Country, and Born to Sing. In 2012, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Country music has a long and proud history of women who have made a difference in the genre. Female country musicians like Dolly Parton and Miranda Lambert have helped country music grow and change, inspiring many fans and showing that country music is for everyone.
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