Three Legendary and Famous Female Solo Country Music Singers, Here Are Their Biographies

Baca Juga

FEMUSINDO.com - Country music is a music genre that originates from the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains.

This genre of music is a blend of various musical elements, such as North American folk music, Celtic music, gospel music, blues and jazz.

Some famous country artists include Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Eagles, Dixie Chicks, Alabama, The Highwaymen and others.

Of the many country singers, here are three legendary and famous female solo country music singers.

Reba McEntire

Reba Nell McEntire, better known by her stage name Reba McEntire, or simply Reba, is an American country singer and actress.

Nicknamed the "Queen of Country", the artist born in McAlester, Oklahoma, USA, on March 28, 1955, has sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

Since the 1970s, she has placed more than 100 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, 25 of which reached the number one position.

An actress in film and television, McEntire starred in the television series Reba, which aired for six seasons. She also owns several businesses, including a restaurant and a clothing line.

McEntire is one of four siblings born and raised in Oklahoma. With the help of her mother, she and her siblings formed the Singing McEntires.

Throughout her career, the Singing McEntires played at local events and recorded for a small label.

McEntire then enrolled at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and studied to become a public school teacher.

In between her studies, she also occasionally performed and was heard singing at a rodeo by country musician Red Steagall.

Attracted by her singing voice, Steagall helped McEntire land a country music recording contract with PolyGram/Mercury Records in 1975.

That year, Reba McEntire and her sister moved with their mother to Nashville, Tennessee, United States.

Over the next few years, PolyGram/Mercury released a series of McEntire albums and singles, none of which were particularly successful.

In the early 1980s, McEntire's music grew in popularity with several top-ten country hits, including "(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven", "I'm Not That Lonely Yet", and her first number-one hit, "Can't Even Get the Blues".

However, McEntire grew dissatisfied with her career and signed with MCA Records in 1984.

Her second MCA album, My Kind of Country (1984), was her breakthrough release, producing two Billboard number-one country singles and moving toward a more traditional style of music.

During the 1980s, McEntire released seven more studio albums and had ten more number-one country hits.

Her number-one singles included "One Promise Too Late", "The Last One to Know", and the Grammy Award-winning "Whoever's in New England".

In 1991, McEntire lost eight members of her band in a plane crash in San Diego, California.

The experience resulted in McEntire's critically acclaimed album For My Broken Heart, which is her best-selling album to date.

McEntire's acting career began in January 1990 when she made her film debut in Tremors. In 2001, she played Annie Oakley in the Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun.

That same year, The WB launched the TV series Reba, in which she starred. She also guest-starred on Young Sheldon as June Ballard.

Since 2023, McEntire has appeared as a coach on The Voice, a singing talent show television series that airs in various countries.

Dolly Parton

Dolly Rebecca Parton, with her famous name Dolly Parton, was born in Sevierville, Tennessee, United States, on January 19, 1946.

She is an American actress, singer, composer, and author who has won 10 Grammy Awards.

Many country and pop singers are inspired by her, such as Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Jessica Simpson, Faith Hill and many more.

Dolly Parton has had a career in film and music since 1964. She is often dubbed as The Queen of Country Music.

Parton has won 25 Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awards that are certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum.

She has had 25 songs reach No. 1 on the Billboard country charts, a record for a female artist (tied with Reba McEntire).

Parton has 41 career top-10 country albums, a record for any artist, and she has had 110 career charting singles over the past 40 years.

She has garnered ten Grammy Awards, two Academy Award nominations, ten Country Music Association Awards, seven Academy of Country Music Awards and three American Music Awards.

She is one of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year award.

In total, Parton has received 47 Grammy nominations. She is the most successful female singer in the world, specifically in the country music genre.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou Harris is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist born in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 2, 1947.

Harris is considered one of the leading musical artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana genre in the 1990s.

Her music unites country and rock audiences in a live performance setting. Her distinctive voice, musical style, and songwriting have been recognized by critics and fellow recording artists.

Harris developed an interest in folk music in her early years, which led to her performing professionally.

After moving to New York City in the 1960s, Harris recorded folk albums and performed in the regional scene.

She was discovered by Gram Parsons, who influenced her country rock direction. Harris earned her own recording contract with Reprise–Warner Bros.

Her second album, Pieces of the Sky (1975), received critical acclaim and commercial success. Subsequent albums in the 1970s further elevated Harris' career. 

By 1980, she had four number-one songs on the US and Canadian country charts: "Together Again", "Sweet Dreams", "Two More Bottles of Wine", and "Beneath Still Waters".

Harris continued to have a string of critically and commercially successful albums including Roses in the Snow (1980), Evangeline (1981) and Last Date (1982).

Her backing group, the Hot Band, helped lay the musical foundation for her concerts and albums. Her albums in the 1980s spawned top ten singles.

The 1985 album The Ballad of Sally Rose was one of Harris' first self-penned projects.

Harris later collaborated with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt on Trio (1987). The platinum-selling album was also a critical success and spawned four top ten singles.

During her career, Harris is estimated to have sold over 15 million records worldwide.

He has also earned 13 Grammy Awards, had 27 top-ten singles on the US country charts, and several of his albums have received gold certification in the US.

He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and was ranked among Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2022. (*)