‘L’ Is for Loretta Lynn – Top Country Artists A to Z

Why: Loretta Lynn is one of the founding women of country music -- or at the very least, a woman who stormed through doors previously closed to female artists. It's easy to draw a straight line from Lynn to stars like the Dixie Chicks (and later, Miranda Lambert), and it's fair to do so. Her music, and maybe more importantly, her honest style, cleared the Nashville jungle. The fact that she has one of the most endearing voices of all time is hardly a footnote.

Honorable Mentions: Miranda Lambert, Lonestar and Patty Loveless.