Country music is the most American of musical idioms, alongside jazz. With a longer history than rock and roll or hip-hop, country has produced a powerful pantheon of memorable artists, albums, and songs. Growing up, I pretended not to like country music, even though it was the music I heard my dad listen to the most (while my mom turned me on to the incredible pop and rock of the ‘60s and ‘70s). Nowadays, I’ve shaken that youthful pretension and will admit to enjoying most types of country’s many subgenres. I also have to admit that compiling a list...
