AND NOW.....THE WOMEN SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT

Last week, I posed the question of "Who is the greatest male Country performer of all time?" Once I got done writing the blog, I realized that I ought to make this one a two-parter, because there could be as many answers to the female side of this question, as well. Over the years, Country Music has been blessed with many great female voices, so I'll offer up my opinion, and also say I would love to see yours.....

KITTY WELLS-----She was not the first female Country star, but she was the first one to be a consistent hitmaker, and from 1952-1967, she released hit after hit. Gene Autry once said about being the first major singing cowboy, "It doesn't matter if you're the best, as long as you're the first." That could be said of Wells. Though today's generation might not know of her many accomplishments, she broke down so many doors for female singers from Jean Shepard all the way to yes, Taylor Swift.

PATSY CLINE-----I take a lot of flak from my friends for wondering if Cline's career would have been as influential were she living today. It's an unfair question, as there's not a way to know. But, I'll say this....What Patsy Cline did in her recording career in six years (and most notably the last two), few will ever equal. She set a standard, one that people are still reaching for today.

LORETTA LYNN-----Though Cline stood up to the men behind the scenes, Loretta was the first female Country singer to say what she thought....and she did it often. Whether is was laying down the law to her husband, or being thankful for "The Pill," female listeners could relate to the songs she was singing. If anyone can say they have lived their music, it's Loretta Lynn.

TAMMY WYNETTE----Speaking of living their music, most of the songs that Tammy Wynette wrote could very well have been three-minute soap operas. There were so many sides to her personality, but she really delivered the goods when she sang about the blue side of love, like "Till I Can Make It On My Own."

BARBARA MANDRELL---Her smoky, raspy voice served as the focal point of some of Country's sexiest moments such as "Tonight"
or her cover of "If Loving You Is Wrong," but she could also deliver some powerful emotional moments, like "Years," or the best anthem the Country genre has ever had, "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool."

EMMYLOU HARRIS----I don't know if any female singer has done as much to preserve and promote the history of Country Music than Emmylou, who has helped to introduce her hip audience to music from the masters, like Jones and Owens.

REBA MCENTIRE-----For over three decades, she has been the female singer who has likely inspired the largest number of vocalists. Her business acumen is legendary, but it's her voice that has made her a radio favorite since 1980...and she's still going to this day.

ROSANNE CASH------The music that Rosanne Cash has made definitely belongs on any "Best Of" list, but there's something about that voice. It's not traditional, by any stretch of the definition, but anyone that can run the balance of 80s rocker ("Seven Year Ache) to a smooth and seductive jazz sound ("I Wonder") gets my vote...and that's not even mentioning perhaps the greatest song by a female vocalist in Nashville in the 1980s, "Blue Moon With Heartache." Even though it was 1982, what a record...what a record indeed!

PATTY LOVELESS----She's starting to make some of these lists, and with good reason. That high lonesome Kentucky sound has inspired many of today's top acts, but more importantly, she's just that dang good. Her recent forays into Bluegrass Music also kind of set her apart as the Emmylou Harris of her generation, and that's a great comparison.

MARTINA MCBRIDE----Over the past fifteen years, nobody comes close to Martina--whether on record or on stage. I've gotten to witness both over the years, and she's simply one of the best. Sometimes, I would love to hear her record things a little more gritty than the four-minute self-help songs she tends to records for the Oprah crowd, but she's selling millions...and I'm writing blogs...so I guess she knows what she's doing, but if you heard her fill in for Sheryl Crow with Kid Rock at the CMA Music Festival this past year on "Picture,' you know what I'm talking about...

AND MY TOP TWO.......

CONNIE SMITH---She might not have the chart numbers of the artists above (or the one below), but listening to this woman sing is truly a privilege. I recently saw her at the Grand Ole Opry, and there's no smoke, no mirrors, no hoops to jump through....just a voice---that is one of the greatest treasures of this format. Ask Marty Stuart....Yes, he might be somewhat biased, but even he was a fan before he was a husband

DOLLY PARTON----I will admit that over the past couple of weeks, I have been listening to her new RCA box set, so that might influence me, but in all honesty...it just reminds me of what I have always known. The lady is perhaps the most talented person to ever have had success in the Country format. Listen to her early recordings for Monument and then for RCA. The voice is so piercing that it can literally break your heart, and when it comes to songwriting...there are few equals. No matter if it's a traditional tearjerker like "Jeannie's Afraid Of The Dark," one of the most commercial love songs of all time in "Here You Come Again," (one of the few hits she did not write), or the working girl anthem of "9 To 5," Dolly Parton is, and always has been the real deal. And I didn't even say anything about her undeniable charisma, which keeps her ever vital and young to this day....

Well, those are my thoughts....I would love to hear yours....Until next week, when I'll tell you about something big...and I mean really big!