inception billy hill 
Etta James ( born Jamesetta Hawkins ; January ___MASK35___ , 1938  January 20 , 2012 ) was an American singer who performed in various genres , including blues , R & B , soul , rock and roll , jazz and gospel . Starting her career in 1954 , she gained fame with hits such as " The Wallflower ", " At Last ", " Tell Mama ", " Something ' s Got a Hold on Me ", and " I ' d Rather Go Blind ". She faced a number of personal problems , including heroin addiction , severe physical abuse , and incarceration , before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album " Seven Year Itch ". Dennis Anthony Robbins ( born in Hazelwood , North Carolina ) is an American musician who first made himself known as a guitarist in the band The Rockets . After his departure from The Rockets , he began a career in country music , recording two major - label albums and several singles of his own , in addition to writing hit singles for Shenandoah and Garth Brooks . Pamela Yvonne " Pam " Tillis ( born July ___MASK43___ , 1957 ) is an American country music singer - songwriter and actress . She is the daughter of country music singer Mel Tillis and Doris Tillis . Bryan Shelton White ( born February ___MASK99___ , ___MASK63___ ) is an American country music artist . Signed to Asylum Records in ___MASK22___ at age ___MASK50___ , White released his self - titled debut album that year . Both it and its follow - up , 1996 ' s " Between Now and Forever ", were certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America , and 1997 ' s " The Right Place " was certified gold . His fourth album , 1999 ' s " How Lucky I Am ", produced 2 top 40 singles , with the song " God Gave Me You " eventually becoming a big hit in the Philippines . Van Zant is an American musical duo composed of brothers Donnie Van Zant and Johnny Van Zant . Both are brothers of the late Ronnie Van Zant , former lead singer for the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd . Johnny became the lead vocalist for the reunited Lynyrd Skynyrd in ___MASK79___ , and Donnie was also the leader and vocalist of . 38 Special . Faith Hill ( born Audrey Faith Perry ; September 21 , ___MASK18___ ) is an American singer , songwriter , actress and record producer . She is one of the most successful country artists of all time , having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide . Hill is married to American singer Tim McGraw , with whom she has recorded several duets . Troyal Garth Brooks ( born February ___MASK11___ , 1962 ) is an American country singer and songwriter . His integration of rock and roll elements into the country genre has earned him immense popularity in the United States . Brooks has had great success in the country single and album charts , with multi - platinum recordings and record - breaking live performances , while also crossing over into the mainstream pop arena . Waylon Arnold Jennings ( pronounced ; June ___MASK70___ , ___MASK16___  February 13 , 2002 ) was an American singer , songwriter , musician , and actor . Jennings began playing guitar at eight and began performing at 14 on KVOW radio . His first band was The Texas Longhorns . Jennings worked as a DJ on KVOW , KDAV , KYTI , and KLLL . In 1958 , Buddy Holly arranged Jennings ' s first recording session , of " Jole Blon " and " When Sin Stops ( Love Begins )". Holly hired him to play bass . In Clear Lake , Iowa , Jennings gave up his seat on the ill - fated flight that crashed and killed Holly , J . P . Richardson , Ritchie Valens , and pilot Roger Peterson . Kristoffer " Kris " Kristofferson ( born June ___MASK100___ , ___MASK6___ ) is an American singer , songwriter , musician and actor . He wrote and recorded the songs " Me and Bobby McGee ", " For the Good Times ", " Sunday Mornin ' Comin ' Down " and " Help Me Make It Through the Night ". Kristofferson composed his own songs and collaborated with Nashville songwriters such as Shel Silverstein . In ___MASK2___ , Kristofferson joined fellow country artists Waylon Jennings , Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash in forming the country music supergroup The Highwaymen . In 2004 , Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame . He is also known for his starring roles in " Alice Doesn ' t Live Here Anymore " and " A Star Is Born ", the latter for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor . Delbert McClinton ( born November ___MASK98___ , 1940 ) is an American blues rock and electric blues singer - songwriter , guitarist , harmonica player , and pianist . James William " Jimmy " Buffett ( born December ___MASK35___ , 1946 ) is an American musician , songwriter , author , actor , and businessman . He is best known for his music , which often portrays an " island escapism " lifestyle . Together with his Coral Reefer Band , Buffett has recorded hit songs including " Margaritaville " ( ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America ' s list of " Songs of the Century ") and " Come Monday ". He has a devoted base of fans known as " Parrotheads ". William S . Levise , Jr ( born February 26 , ___MASK51___ ), known better by his stage name Mitch Ryder , is an American musician who has recorded more than two dozen albums over more than four decades . Patty Loveless ( born Patty Lee Ramey ; January ___MASK98___ , 1957 ) is an American country music singer . Peter Wolf ( born Peter Walter Blankfield ; March ___MASK11___ , 1946 ) is an American rhythm and blues , soul and rock and roll musician , best known as the lead vocalist for the J . Geils Band from 1967 to 1983 and for a successful solo career with writing partner Will Jennings . Bob DiPiero ( born ___MASK31___ - 1951 in Youngstown , Ohio ) is an American country music songwriter . He has written 15 . U . S . Number 1 hits and countless top 20 hits for the likes of Tim McGraw , The Oak Ridge Boys , Reba McEntire , Vince Gill , Faith Hill , Shenandoah , Neal McCoy , Highway 101 , Restless Heart , Ricochet , John Anderson , Montgomery Gentry , Brooks & Dunn , George Strait , Pam Tillis , Martina McBride , Trace Adkins , Travis Tritt , Bryan White , Billy Currington , Etta James , Delbert McClinton , Van Zant , Tanya Tucker and Patty Loveless among others . Hillbilly is a term ( often derogatory ) for people who dwell in rural , mountainous areas in the United States , primarily in Appalachia and the Ozarks , Uwharrie Mountains , and Caraway Mountains . Due to its strongly stereotypical connotations , the term can be offensive to those Americans of Appalachian or Ozark heritage . The first known instances of " Hillbilly " in print were in " The Railroad Trainmen ' s Journal " ( vol . ix , ___MASK54___ ), a ___MASK42___ photograph of men and women in West Virginia labeled " Camp Hillbilly " andin a 1900 " New York Journal " article , with the definition : " a Hill - Billie is a free and untrammeled white citizen of Tennessee , who lives in the hills , has no means to speak of , dresses as he can , talks as he pleases , drinks whiskey when he gets it , and fires off his revolver as the fancy takes him ". The stereotype is twofold in that it incorporates both positive and negative traits : " Hillbillies " are often considered independent and self - reliant individuals who resist the modernization of society , but at the same time they are also defined as backward and violent . Scholars argue this duality is reflective of the split ethnic identities in white America . Willie Hugh Nelson ( born April ___MASK93___ , 1933 ) is an American musician , singer , songwriter , author , poet , actor , and activist . The critical success of the album " Shotgun Willie " ( 1973 ), combined with the critical and commercial success of " Red Headed Stranger " ( ___MASK72___ ) and " Stardust " ( 1978 ), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music . He was one of the main figures of outlaw country , a subgenre of country music that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound . Nelson has acted in over 30 films , co - authored several books , and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana . Steven Noel " Steve " Wariner ( born December ___MASK35___ , 1954 ) is an American country music singer , songwriter and guitarist . He has released eighteen studio albums , including six on MCA Records , and three each on RCA Records , Arista Records and Capitol Records . He has also charted more than fifty singles on the " Billboard " country singles charts , including ten Number One hits : " All Roads Lead to You ", " Some Fools Never Learn ", " You Can Dream of Me ", " Life ' s Highway ", " Small Town Girl ", " The Weekend ", " Lynda ", " Where Did I Go Wrong ", and " I Got Dreams ", and " What If I Said ", a duet with Anita Cochran from her album " Back to You ". Three of his studio albums have been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping ___MASK46___ , 000 copies in the United States . Alison Maria Krauss ( born July 23 , ___MASK74___ ) is an American bluegrass - country singer and musician . She entered the music industry at an early age , winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen . She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in 1987 . She was invited to join the band with which she still performs , Alison Krauss and Union Station ( AKUS ), and later released her first album with them as a group in ___MASK20___ . Appalachia is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York to northern Alabama , Mississippi and Georgia . While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle ( Newfoundland and Labrador ) in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in Alabama , the cultural region of Appalachia typically refers only to the central and southern portions of the range . As of the ___MASK38___ United States Census , the region was home to approximately ___MASK35___ million people . John Scott Sherrill is an American songwriter whose work is primarily in the field of country music . He has written songs for such artists as John Anderson , Brooks & Dunn , Jimmy Buffett ( Steamer ), Johnny Lee , George Strait , Steve Wariner , Patty Loveless , Josh Turner , Waylon Jennings , Alison Krauss , Peter Wolf , Mick Jagger , Michael McDonald and Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson . He is the son of Christian writers John and Elizabeth Sherrill . In the 1980s , Sherrill recorded with Bob DiPiero and Dennis Robbins as the band Billy Hill . Samuel Timothy " Tim " McGraw ( born May ___MASK53___ , 1967 ) is an American singer , songwriter and actor . He has been married to singer Faith Hill since 1996 , and is the son of the late baseball player Tug McGraw . John L . Sherrill ( born ___MASK82___ , Covington , Tennessee ) and Elizabeth " Tib " Sherrill ( born 1928 , Hollywood , California ) are Christian writers . They have co - authored a number of best - selling books , including : James Travis Tritt ( born February ___MASK96___ , 1963 ) is an American country music singer , songwriter , and actor . He signed to Warner Bros . Records in ___MASK20___ , releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999 . In the 2000s , he released two albums on Columbia Records and one for the defunct Category 5 Records . Seven of his albums ( counting the Greatest Hits ) are certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ); the highest - certified is 1991 ' s " It ' s All About to Change ", which is certified triple - platinum . Tritt has also charted more than 40 times on the Hot Country Songs charts , including five number ones  " Help Me Hold On ," " Anymore ," " Can I Trust You with My Heart ," " Foolish Pride ", and " Best of Intentions "  and 15 additional top ten singles . Tritt ' s musical style is defined by mainstream country and Southern rock influences . Tracy Darrell Adkins , known as Trace Adkins ( born January ___MASK26___ , ___MASK32___ ), is an American country music singer and actor . He made his debut in 1995 with the album " Dreamin ' Out Loud ", released on Capitol Records Nashville . Since then , Adkins has released ten more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations . In addition , he has charted more than ___MASK50___ singles on the " Billboard " country music charts , including the Number One hits "( This Ain ' t ) No Thinkin ' Thing ", " Ladies Love Country Boys ", and " You ' re Gonna Miss This ", which peaked in 1997 , ___MASK65___ , and 2008 , respectively . " I Left Something Turned on at Home " went to No . 1 on Canada ' s country chart . All but one of his studio albums have received gold or platinum certification in the United States ; his highest - selling to date is 2005 ' s " Songs About Me ", which has been certified 2 × Multi - Platinum for shipping two million copies . Adkins is widely known for his distinctive bass - baritone singing voice . Shawn Colvin ( born January ___MASK30___ , 1956 ) is an American country folk and americana singer - songwriter and musician widely known for her Grammy - winning 1997 single " Sunny Came Home ". Tanya Denise Tucker ( born October ___MASK30___ , 1958 , in Seminole , Texas ) is an American country music artist who had her first hit , " Delta Dawn ", in ___MASK23___ at the age of 13 . Over the succeeding decades , Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood without losing her audience , and during the course of her career , she notched a streak of top - ___MASK30___ and top - 40 hits . She has had several successful albums , several Country Music Association award nominations , and hit songs such as 1973 ' s " What ' s Your Mama ' s Name ?" and " Blood Red and Goin ' Down ", ___MASK72___ ' s " Lizzie and the Rainman ", and 1988 ' s " Strong Enough to Bend ". Sir Michael Philip " Mick " Jagger ( born 26 July ___MASK44___ ) is an English singer , songwriter , actor and , the lead singer and a co - founder of the Rolling Stones . William Matthew " Billy " Currington ( born November ___MASK41___ , ___MASK3___ ) is an American country music singer and songwriter , signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 2003 . He has released six studio albums for the label : " Billy Currington " ( 2003 ), " Doin ' Somethin ' Right " ( 2005 ), " Little Bit of Everything " ( 2008 ), " Enjoy Yourself " ( ___MASK38___ ), " We Are Tonight " ( 2013 ), and " Summer Forever " ( 2015 ). Ian Stuart Donaldson ( ___MASK62___ ___MASK76___  ___MASK43___ September 1993 ), also known as Ian Stuart , was a white supremacist musician from Poulton - le - Fylde , Lancashire . He was best known as the frontman of Skrewdriver , a British punk rock band which he rebranded as a white power rock band . He raised money through white power concerts with his Blood and Honour network . Martina Mariea McBride ( née Schiff , born July ___MASK93___ , 1966 ) is an American country music singer - songwriter and record producer . She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material . Joshua Otis " Josh " Turner ( born November ___MASK50___ , 1977 ) is an American contemporary country music singer and actor . In 2003 , he signed to MCA Nashville Records . That same year , his debut album ' s title track , " Long Black Train ", was his breakthrough single release . His second album , " Your Man " ( 2006 ) accounted for his first two number one hits : " Your Man " and " Would You Go with Me ," while ___MASK65___ ' s " Everything Is Fine " included a No . 2 in " Firecracker ." " Haywire ", released in 2010 , produced his biggest hit , the No . 1 " Why Don ' t We Just Dance " and another number one in " All Over Me ". It was followed by " Punching Bag " ( 2012 ), whose lead - off single " Time Is Love " was the biggest hit of 2012 according to Billboard Year - End . Billy Hill was an American country music group founded by singer / songwriter / guitarists Dennis Robbins , Bob DiPiero and John Scott Sherrill , along with Reno Kling ( bass guitar ) and Martin Parker ( drums ) . Before the group ' s foundation , Robbins had been a member of The Rockets ( later The Detroit Wheels ) , and Kling played bass for Steve Earle . Sherrill and Robbins alternated as lead vocalists , but credited the frontman role to a fictional character named Billy Hill and wrote a biography on the character . The band recorded one album for Reprise Records and charted two singles on the Billboard country charts . After disbanding in ___MASK49___ , Robbins became a solo artist for Giant . DiPiero and Sherrill have continued working as songwriters . Guitar Town is the debut album from singer - songwriter Steve Earle , released on March ___MASK52___ , 1986 . It topped the " Billboard " country album charts , and the title song reached # ___MASK11___ on the country singles charts . Earle was also nominated for two ___MASK79___ Grammy Awards , Best Male Country Vocalist and Best Country Song , for the title track . Hubert Neal McGaughey , Jr . ( born July ___MASK97___ , ___MASK8___ ), known professionally as Neal McCoy , is an American country music singer . He has released ten studio albums on various labels , and has released 34 singles to country radio . Although he first charted on " Billboard " Hot Country Songs in ___MASK88___ , he did not reach Top 40 for the first time until ___MASK48___ ' s " Where Forever Begins ", which peaked at number 40 . McCoy broke through a year later with the back - to - back number ___MASK53___ singles " No Doubt About It " and " Wink " from his platinum - certified album " No Doubt About It ". Although he has not topped the country charts since , his commercial success continued into the late 1990s with two more platinum albums and a gold album , as well as six more Top Ten hits . A seventh Top Ten hit , the number 10 " Billy ' s Got His Beer Goggles On ", came in 2005 from his self - released " That ' s Life ". Stephen Fain " Steve " Earle ( born January ___MASK99___ , ___MASK34___ ) is an American rock , country and folk singer - songwriter , record producer , author and actor . Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in ___MASK86___ . His breakthrough album was the 1986 album " Guitar Town ". Since then Earle has released 15 other studio albums and received three Grammy awards . His songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash , Waylon Jennings , Travis Tritt , Vince Gill , Patty Loveless , Shawn Colvin , Ian Stuart Donaldson and Emmylou Harris . He has appeared in film and television , and has written a novel , a play , and a book of short stories . The Detroit Wheels were an American rock band , formed in Detroit in ___MASK66___ . They served as Mitch Ryder ' s backup band from ___MASK66___ to ___MASK18___ . Johnny Cash ( born J . R . Cash ; February 26 , ___MASK90___  September 12 , 2003 ) was an American singer - songwriter , guitarist , actor , and author . He was widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century and one of the best - selling music artists of all time , having sold more than 90 million records worldwide . Although primarily remembered as a country music icon , his genre - spanning songs and sound embraced rock and roll , rockabilly , blues , folk , and gospel . This crossover appeal won Cash the rare honor of multiple inductions in the Country Music , Rock and Roll , and Gospel Music Halls of Fame . Restless Heart is an American country music band established in ___MASK75___ . The band ' s longest - lasting lineup has consisted of Larry Stewart ( lead vocals ), John Dittrich ( drums , background vocals ), Paul Gregg ( bass guitar , background vocals ), Dave Innis ( piano , keyboards , rhythm guitar , background vocals ), and Greg Jennings ( lead guitar , mandolin , background vocals ). Verlon Thompson was the band ' s original lead singer , but he was replaced by Stewart before the band signed to RCA Records Nashville . Stewart departed for a solo career in ___MASK48___ ; during this time , Innis , Gregg , and Dittrich alternated as lead vocalists , until Innis also left . The band was on hiatus from 1994 to ___MASK47___ . During this hiatus , Dittrich briefly recorded as one - third of The Buffalo Club , and Jennings joined Vince Gill ' s road band . Stewart , Gregg , Dittrich , and Jennings reunited briefly in ___MASK47___ to record new material for a greatest hits album ; they , along with Innis , reunited again in 2004 , and this lineup has remained ever since . The Southern United States , commonly referred to as the American South , Dixie , or simply the South , is a region of the United States of America . The South does not exactly match the geographic south , but is predominantly located in the southeastern corner ; Arizona and New Mexico , which are geographically in the southern part of the country , are rarely considered part of the Southern United States , while West Virginia , which separated from Virginia in ___MASK12___ , commonly is . Some scholars have proposed definitions of the South that do not coincide neatly with state boundaries . While the states of Delaware and Maryland , as well as the District of Columbia permitted slavery prior to the start of the Civil War , they remained with the Union . Since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s , they became more culturally , economically , and politically aligned with the industrial Northern states , and are often identified as part of the Mid - Atlantic and / or Northeast by many residents , businesses , public institutions , and private organizations . However , the United States Census Bureau puts them in the South . Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo composed of vocalists Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry , both natives of Kentucky . The two began performing in the 1990s as part of two different bands with Montgomery ' s brother , John Michael Montgomery . Although Gentry won a talent contest in ___MASK22___ , he reunited with Eddie Montgomery after Gentry was unable to find a solo record deal , and Montgomery Gentry was formed in ___MASK69___ . The duo is known for its Southern rock influences , and has collaborated with Charlie Daniels , Toby Keith , Five for Fighting , and members of The Allman Brothers Band . George Harvey Strait ( born May ___MASK55___ , ___MASK13___ ) is an American country music singer , songwriter , actor , and music producer . He is known as the " King of Country " and is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time . He is known for his neotraditionalist country style , cowboy look , and being one of the first and main country artists to bring country music back to its roots and away from the pop country era in the 1980s . Highway ___MASK59___ is an American country music band founded by Paulette Carlson ( lead vocals ), Jack Daniels ( guitar ), Curtis Stone ( bass guitar , mandolin ) and Scott " Cactus " Moser ( drums ). With Carlson as lead vocalist , the band recorded three albums for Warner Bros . Records Nashville and charted ten consecutive Top Ten hits on the Hot Country Songs charts , four of which went to Number One . After Carlson left in ___MASK49___ , the band recorded a fourth album for Warner with Nikki Nelson on lead vocals before exiting the label . One album each followed on Liberty , Intersound and Free Falls Records . Moser , Stone , Nelson and Andy Gurley comprise the current lineup . Vincent Grant " Vince " Gill ( born April ___MASK92___ , ___MASK64___ ) is an American country singer , songwriter and multi - instrumentalist . He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist beginning in 1983 , where his talents as a vocalist and musician have placed him in high demand as a guest vocalist and a duet partner . Emmylou Harris ( born April ___MASK81___ , ___MASK19___ ) is an American singer and songwriter . She has released many popular albums and singles over the course of her career , and   she has won 13 Grammys as well as numerous other awards . Country music is a genre of United States popular music that originated in the southern United States in the 1920s . It takes its roots from the southeastern genre of United States , such as folk music ( especially Appalachian folk music ), and blues music . Blues modes have been used extensively throughout its recorded history . Country music often consists of ballads and dance tunes with generally simple forms and harmonies accompanied by mostly string instruments such as banjos , electric and acoustic guitars , dobros and fiddles as well as harmonicas . According to Lindsey Starnes , the term " country music " gained popularity in the 1940s in preference to the earlier term " hillbilly music "; it came to encompass Western music , which evolved parallel to hillbilly music from similar roots , in the mid - 20th century . The term " country music " is used today to describe many styles and subgenres . The origins of country music are the folk music of working - class Americans , who blended popular songs , Irish and Celtic fiddle tunes , traditional English ballads , and cowboy songs , and various musical traditions from European immigrant communities . In ___MASK37___ country music was the most listened to rush hour radio genre during the evening commute , and second most popular in the morning commute in the United States . Reba Nell McEntire ( born March 28 , ___MASK34___ ) is an American singer , songwriter , actress and record producer . She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings , and at rodeos . While a sophomore in college , she performed the National Anthem at the National Rodeo in Oklahoma City and caught the attention of country artist Red Steagall who brought her to Nashville , Tennessee . She signed a contract with Mercury Records a year later in ___MASK72___ . She released her first solo album in 1977 and released five additional studio albums under the label until 1983 .