The best country singer . . .

[BB]

They are all the best! Don't forget Keith Whitley!

Lefty left a great legacy in that many of the greats state their love, appreciation and inspiration from Lefty.

We all have our fav's....for me, it's Merle. I sure dig many of the ones listed here, but for me, Merle is the man.

 

[brookdalebill]

Merle, IMO.

 

[schmee]

George Straight
George Jones
Patsy Cline
my preference is: "ditch all that overdone fake twang in your voice"

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Damn, I forgot to mention Tammy!
No one personified heartache quite like she...

R.I.P.

 

[oldunc]

Patsy.

 

[telekaster1999]

Pretty subjective.
Merle? Willie? Personally I love Ray Wylie Hubbard.

And don’t count out Trace Adkins. Be honest, you know you cried the first time you heard Honky Tonk Badonkadonk.

I did cry, plus Trace did some great dancing on that song.

 

[Wayne Alexander]

Current? Jason Isbell, Natalie Maines.

 

[black_doug]

Mick Jagger.

 

[RobRiggs]

They are all the best! Don't forget Keith Whitley!

Lefty left a great legacy in that many of the greats state their love, appreciation and inspiration from Lefty.

We all have our fav's....for me, it's Merle. I sure dig many of the ones listed here, but for me, Merle is the man.

This is an impossible question, but I’ll +1 for Keith Whitley. Got better with every album but gone way too soon.

 

[Boomhauer]

LUKE BRYAN!

 

[Rustbucket]

Merle!

 

[Fluddman]

As the question was 'who is the best singer' not 'who has the best voice' - the answer has to be Willie!

 

[richiek65]

As the question was 'who is the best singer' not 'who has the best voice' - the answer has to be Willie!

Henry agrees!

 

[Nahtabot]

Current? Jason Isbell, Natalie Maines.

+ Yola Carter.

 

[Vibroluxer]

Mick Jagger.

I've always dug their country vibe and wish they would have followed it a little more closely.

 

[Mr. St. Paul]

Greatest male singer: nobody reached the heights of George Jones. Or the depths. Merle held it together longer and had a more consistent body of work. Flip a coin, they're both stellar.

Greatest female singer: Patsy Cline. Period, paragraph, the end.

 

[smoothrecluse]

My favorite is Dwight, but I’m surprised Vince Gill hasn’t made the list.

 

[3rdworlder]

Is that even a honest question. The BEST among the best country singers is George Jones.
Still, if you want to check other great singers and fantastic true-country voices here's some more other than the great Merle Haggard: Lefty Frizzel, Johnny Paycheck, Vern Gosdin, Mel Street, Gene Watson, Randy Travis, John Anderson, or 90s stars like Ken Mellons, and Wade Hayes.
'Cause a hat and a pair of cowboy boots doesn't mean some singer is country. The true-country singers' voice must have that unmistakable deep tone.
Now greatest female singers... Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, and Suzy Bogguss. Connie Smith, and Janie Fricke are also fantastic singers.

 

[sloppychops]

Impossible question to answer. But put me down for Dwight Yoakum.

 

[RobRiggs]

If we’re gonna divide it up by gender I’d say Loretta Lynn or Martina McBride