It is an auspicious moment in the history of a band that began with a high school talent contest. On the bill was Brad Mates, an 11th-grader singing for the first time in front of an audience. In addition, Pat Allingham and his pal (and now Emerson keyboardist) Chris Hartman -- the two had been in school and church choirs together since kindergarten -- joined a few buddies to form an impromptu group doing an equally impromptu song.

Faith Hill (Audrey Faith Perry) was born on Sept. 21, 1967, in Jackson, Miss. Adopted at only a week old, she grew up in the small town of Star. She sang in church growing up and moved to Nashville at 19 to pursue a country music career.

Garth Brooks is a pivotal figure in the history of country music, no matter how much some country purists would like to deny it. With his commercially savvy fusion of post-Merle Haggard country, honky tonk, post-folk-rock sensitive singer/songwriter sensibilities, and '70s arena rock dramatics, Brooks brought country music to a new audience in the '90s -- namely, a mass audience.

Country singer and songwriter Jerrod Niemann has penned songs for Garth Brooks, Neal McCoy and Jamey Johnson, among others, and has built a strong fan base as a performer of his own material as well. Born in Harper, KS (but raised in nearby Liberal, KS), Niemann fell early under the spell of country legends like Lefty Frizzell, George Strait, and Keith Whitley, and soon learned to accompany himself on guitar while entering various talent contests.

Jo Dee Messina was born Aug. 25, 1970, in Holliston, Mass. At 16, she put together a band, handling publicity, marketing, booking, song selection and set lists. She even ran the soundboard from the stage. When she moved to Nashville, she brought that work ethic with her, surviving by entering -- and winning -- talent contests around town. 

Joe Nichols was born in Rogers, Ark., on Nov. 26, 1976. His father drove a truck but also played bass and sang. Nichols would hear and watch his dad perform at VFW dates. Like Nichols' grandfather and uncles, his dad played classic country music. 

John Anderson was born Dec. 13, 1954, in Orlando, Fla., and raised in Apopka, Fla. As an teen, Anderson played in a rock band, but ultimately pursued country music when he moved to Nashville in 1971 where he played in clubs and also helped build the Grand Ole Opry House.

Justin Moore was born and raised in Poyen, Ark. One set of his grandparents raised cattle and he helped with the chores. The other grandparents taught him how to hunt and fish. Although he was a star athlete in high school, he moved to Nashville after graduation to pursue a music career.

Women swoon every time hunky country heartthrob Keith Anderson takes the stage, but despite his good looks, Anderson's first big country music break was a behind-the-scenes job. Born near the Ozark Mountains in Miami, OK, Anderson grew up listening to the Southern-fried sound of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet along with numerous hair metal bands.

George Strait was born on May 18, 1952, in Poteet, Texas, the son of a junior high school teacher who also owned and operated a ranch that had been in the Strait family for nearly 100 years. When Strait was a child, his mother left the family, taking her daughter but leaving behind her sons with the father. During his childhood, he would spend his weekdays in town and his weekends on the ranch.

The winner of Fox TV's first American Idol competition during the summer of 2002, Kelly Clarkson went from an anonymous talent to a nationally known singer in a matter of months, performing for an audience of millions.

Jessica Andrews was born on Dec. 29, 1983, in Huntingdon, Tenn. She credits a fourth grade talent show with pointing the way to her current career path: "I was supposed to dance, but my sister told me I should sing. She heard me singing Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You' and talked me into doing it.

Josh Turner was born Nov. 20, 1977, and was raised in Hannah, S.C. Growing up in the church, he found himself singing the bass and baritone parts in numerous choirs. After high school, he moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music and enrolled in Belmont University.

 Little Texas was founded by singer Tim Rushlow and singer-guitarist Dwayne O'Brien, who first performed together in Arlington, Texas, in 1984. They renewed their partnership in Nashville in 1987 and fleshed out the band with lead guitarist Porter Howell and bassist Duane Propes.

Sammy Kershaw was born Feb. 24, 1958, in Abbeville, La., and raised in Kaplan, La. His father died when Sammy was 11, so Kershaw worked a variety of jobs by day while playing roadhouses at night to support his family. He opened shows for Ray Price, Merle Haggard and George Jones while barely into his teens.

Most country groups of the '80s favored a commercial pop-oriented approach that alienated many traditional listeners but captured the ear of the mainstream. Shenandoah was one of the first groups to rebel against the urban cowboy image of the '80s and lead the way to the new traditionalism of the '90s.

Jake Owen was raised in Vero Beach, Fla., and grew up with a passion for sports. At age 12, he took up golf and soon realized he had the knack for it. Before long, he had his eye on the professional circuit. When he enrolled at Florida State University (along with fraternal twin Jarrod), Owen became a walk-on member of the golf team, but a serious waterskiing accident quickly ended his professional golf aspirations

Naomi Judd was born Diana Ellen Judd on Jan. 11, 1946, in Ashland, Ky. Finding herself pregnant, she quickly got married but not to the father of her first child, daughter Christina Ciminella. Christina, born May 30, 1964, became known as Wynonna Judd when the mother-daughter duo stormed the country charts in the 1980s.

Shania Twain was born Eileen Edwards in Canada on Aug. 28, 1965, the second oldest of five siblings. She was raised in Timmins, Ontario, about 500 miles due north of Toronto, where her stepfather, an Ojibway Indian named Jerry Twain, and mother, Sharon, had both been raised. It was a proud but, at times, impoverished existence.

Tracy Byrd was born on Dec. 17, 1966, in Beaumont, Texas, and raised in nearby Vidor, Texas. He studied business at Southwest Texas State, then earned a residency with Mark Chesnutt at the local club Cutters. When Chesnutt found national success, Byrd formed his own band and took over the residency.

Contemporary country star Kenny Chesney didn't have the immediate breakout success that many of his peers enjoyed upon signing with major labels, but gradually built up a significant following via hard work, pop-friendly ballads, and a likable, average-guy persona. Chesney was born in Knoxville, TN, in 1968 and raised in the nearby small town of Luttrell, better known as the home of Chet Atkins. 

 Lady Antebellum is comprised of singers Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley and multi-instrumentalist Dave Haywood. Kelley and Haywood were classmates at the University of Georgia, studying finance, when they started writing songs together.

In 1996, LeAnn Rimes burst out of nowhere with her debut single, "Blue," which immediately captured the attention of country fans across America. It wasn't just the fact that her rich, powerful vocals were remarkably similar to Patsy Cline -- it was the fact that Rimes was only 13 years old. 

Lee Ann Womack was born Aug. 19, 1966, in Jacksonville, Texas. Her father was a part-time disc jockey who frequently took her to the studio and let her pick out records for him to play. (Bob Wills, Ray Price and Glen Campbell were her favorites.) At home, she would lie between the stereo speakers and -- when the weather conditions were right -- absorb the music beaming in from the Grand Ole Opry.

The country vocal quartet Little Big Town began with Kimberly Roads and Karen Fairchild, who began singing together at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. Fairchild moved to Nashville in 1994 to work for a booking agent on Music Row. Roads moved a year later. After they reunited, they invited Jimi Westbrook (a friend of Fairchild's) to sing with them and accompany them on guitar.

As the name implies, all of Lonestar's members drifted into Music City from Texas. Dean Sams was working at the Country Music USA show at the Opryland theme park when he began rounding up musicians for a band. By late 1992, Sams had recruited singer-songwriter Richie McDonald and vocalist John Rich, as well as two former members of the band Canyon -- Michael Britt and Keech Rainwater.

Mark Chesnutt was born on Sept. 6, 1963, in Beaumont, Texas. As a torchbearer for traditional country music, Chesnutt arrived at Nashville's commercial heyday in the early 1990s. His first single, 1990's "Too Cold at Home" marked a string of 12 Top 10 hits for MCA Nashville.

Martina McBride (born Martina Schiff) was born July 29, 1966, in Sharon, Kan., and grew up on a farm singing country music from the moment she could tiptoe up to a mike. Before launching her own career on RCA Records, McBride learned about life on the road by selling T-shirts at Garth Brooks concerts.

Miranda Lambert was born Nov. 10, 1983, and is a native of Lindale, Texas. Her father Rick is a country guitarist and songwriter who gathered friends and neighbors often to his rural home. During the week, he and Miranda's mother Bev run a detective agency. But country music is the heart of the household on weekends, with the young Lambert raised on the songs of Guy Clark, Jerry Jeff Walker, Merle Haggard and her dad.

Gerald Edward (Eddie) Montgomery was born Sept. 30, 1963, in Danville, Ky. Troy Gentry was born April 5, 1967, in Lexington, Ky. Both proud Kentucky natives, Gentry and Montgomery's first joint musical effort was as part of a band called Young Country.

Patty Loveless was born Jan. 4, 1957, in Pikeville, Ky., with the name Patricia Ramey. As a young girl, she listened to the Opry on a radio propped in the kitchen window and first saw live music when her father, a coal miner, took her to see Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs at the Polly Anna Drive-In.

 A country trio known primarily for its pleasing harmony and Grammy-winning songcraft, Rascal Flatts are comprised of Gary LeVox, Jay Demarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. Cousins Demarcus and LeVox grew up in Columbus, OH, a town Demarcus eventually left in 1992 to pursue a music career in Nashville.

Heath Wright, lead singer of Ricochet, was born April 22, 1967, and raised in Vian, Okla. The band Ricochet was formed after brothers Jeff and Junior Bryant disbanded their own Texas-based band, Lariat, to team with Wright, as well as musicians Greg Cook, Teddy Carr and Eddie Kilgallon.

Rodney Atkins was born March 28, 1969, in Knoxville, Tenn., and was an adopted child. As an infant at the Holston Methodist Home for Children in Greeneville, Tenn., he was so sick that two couples who had taken him home returned him just a few days later. A third couple from Cumberland Gap, Tenn., adopted him as well and, even though his ailments worsened, refused to give him up.

Sara Evans was born Feb. 5, 1971, in Boonville, Mo., and raised on a farm near New Franklin, Mo. Two of her brothers began playing instruments, at when Evans was 4, her mother discovered that her daughter could sing. Soon, the family act was helping to support the household, earning $50 a night.

Taking their name from the Nashville street where they once rehearsed, Sawyer Brown made their national TV debut on the show Star Search in 1984. After winning $100,000, the band landed a record deal with Curb Records and charted its first single, "Leona," the same year. Following up with pulsating party songs "Step That Step" and "Betty's Bein' Bad," Sawyer Brown won the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 1985.

A country singing duo who took the 21st century path of winning a television talent show (Can You Duet) to break into the public eye, Steel Magnolia consist of Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones. A native of Ponchatoula, LA, Linsey formed the duo with Jones, her boyfriend, whom she met while serving as a karaoke host in a Nashville bar.

Sheryl Crow was born Feb. 11, 1962, in Kennett, Mo. Her parents played in swing bands, her mother as vocalist and her father as a trumpeter with his close friend Leo. After Leo's sudden death, her father put away his trumpet and did not play again until his daughter recorded the tribute song, "We Do What We Can."

Randy Travis was born with the name Randy Traywick in Marshville, N.C., on May 4, 1959. He grew up a hellraiser, by drinking, fighting, dabbling in drugs and committing petty crimes on a path heading straight toward prison. But the rebel ninth-grade dropout "found himself" in the spotlight of a Charlotte, N.C., nightclub, where he won a talent show.

Toby Keith spent the '90s as a solid, workmanlike country star who met with considerable chart success, yet never quite broke free of the neo-traditionalist pack to become a household name like Garth Brooks orAlan Jackson.

As a songwriter and a performer, Willie Nelson played a vital role in post-rock & roll country music. Although he didn't become a star until the mid-'70s, Nelson spent the '60s writing songs that became hits for stars like Ray Price ("Night Life"), Patsy Cline ("Crazy"), Faron Young ("Hello Walls"), and Billy Walker ("Funny How Time Slips Away") as well as releasing a series of records on Liberty and RCA that earned him a small, but devoted, cult following.

Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins was born Jan. 13, 1962, in Springhill, La. He first began performing with a gospel quartet while still attending high school in the nearby town of Sarepta. He continued to sing gospel throughout his years at Louisiana Tech University, where he studied petroleum technology.

Born on Jan. 27, 1968, in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in tiny Foreman, Ark., Tracy Lawrence drew from a rich musical heritage that included such Southern rockers as Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, as well as country traditionalists George Strait and Merle Haggard. He earned his performing stripes by touring the area's bars, honky-tonks and jamborees when barely old enough to drive.

Travis Tritt was one of the leading new country singers of the early '90s, holding his own against Garth Brooks, Clint Black, and Alan Jackson. He was the only one not to wear a hat and the only one to dip into bluesy Southern rock. Consequently, he developed a gutsy, outlaw image that distinguished him from the pack.

Trisha Yearwood initially rose to fame as a protégée of Garth Brooks but quickly staked out her own identity as an assertive yet vulnerable modern woman. Yearwood was born in the small town of Monticello, Ga., in 1964 and grew up on a farm owned by her father, who also worked as a prominent local banker.

Ty Herndon was born May 2, 1962, and raised in Butler, Ala. He grew up with a background of family singing, both at home and in church. He went to Nashville to seek his fortune, performing at Opryland theme park sporadically throughout the 1980s and he attended Belmont University on scholarship.

In 2004, Michelle Branch took a break from her successful solo career to team with friend and touring backup singer Jessica Harp in a new project called the Wreckers. Previous to the Branch collaboration, Harp had been working as a singer-songwriter in Nashville, and those country music elements mixed with Branch's pop sensibilities to inform the Wreckers' rootsy, harmony-rich sound.

Mary Chapin Carpenter was born Feb. 21, 1958, in Princeton, N.J. Her father was an executive for Life magazine, and she spent part of her early life living in Japan. She grew up with a love of contemporary pop hits, although her mother's Woody Guthrie and Judy Collins records gave her some interest in country/folk music. She spent her time at home with her guitar, and her father encouraged her to perform at talent nights.

Pam Tillis was born July 24, 1957, in Plant City, Fla. As the daughter of country star Mel Tillis, she grew up in Nashville and made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry at age 8, singing "Tom Dooley." Early in her career, she worked as a backup vocalist, demo singer, club performer and songwriter and also sang jingles for Hardee's and Equal Sweetener.

Known to friends and family as Matt Shafer, Uncle Kracker was first known as the man behind the turntables in Kid Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker band. A 13-year-old Kracker first hooked up with the young man who would be Kid Rock back in 1987.

Born on April 12, 1957, in Norman, Okla., Vince Gill enjoyed acclaim in the bluegrass and pop worlds before actively pursuing a career in mainstream country during the '80s. His greatest passions -- music and golf -- were influenced by his father, a federal appellate court judge. After performing in a band in high school, Gill joined the Bluegrass Alliance and moved to Kentucky in 1975.

Wynonna Judd was born with the name Christina Ciminella on May 30, 1964, in Ashland, Ky. She first became famous as one-half of the Judds, one of the most successful country acts of the 1980s. Her mother (temporarily) retired from the road at the end of 1991, paving the way for Wynonna's passionate solo debut in 1992.

Zac Brown was raised in Dahlonega, Ga. The former restaurant owner started his music career as a solo artist, but in 2004, he formed the Zac Brown Band with bassist John Hopkins and fiddler Jimmy De Martini; more recent additions are guitarist/organist Coy Bowles and drummer Chris Fryar.

When Tim McGraw debuted in the early '90s, few would have predicted that he would eventually take over Garth Brooks' position as the most popular male singer in country music. Yet that's exactly what he did, thanks to a string of multi-platinum albums, a high-profile marriage to fellow superstar Faith Hill, and Brooks' own inevitable decline.

Gary Allan was born Dec. 5, 1967, in Montebello, Calif., with the name Gary Herzberg. He was raised in La Mirada, Calif., and in his teens, he began to play the honky-tonk circuit. After turning down a record deal while still in high school, Allan eventually signed to Decca Records in 1996.

Gretchen Wilson was born on June 26, 1973, and raised in rural Pocahontas, Ill., 36 miles due east of St. Louis, where numerous trailer parks are clustered among cornfields and pig farms. Her mother was 16 years old when she had Gretchen, and her father, unfortunately, had moved on with his life by the time she was 2.

Jaron and the Long Road to Love features Jaron Lowenstein, who previously found pop success with his brother in the duo of Evan and Jaron. The identical twins' debut album was released in 2000 and contained three Top 40 hits, including "Crazy for This Girl."

Country singer and guitarist Jason Aldean was born in Macon, GA, in 1977. His parents separated when he was three years old, and he spent his childhood with his mother in Macon through the school year while spending the summers with his father in Homestead, FL.

Jimmy Wayne was born Oct. 23, 1972, in Cleveland County, N.C. He endured a tumultuous childhood, as his father abandoned the family when Wayne was a toddler, and his mother was in and out of prison twice. Growing up in foster homes, Wayne became an avid journal-keeper, using writing as a way of therapy.

Although born in New Zealand and raised in nearby Australia, Keith Urban made his biggest splash in Nashville, where he helped rewrite the rules of contemporary country music. By embracing drum loops and elements of Top 40 pop, Urban wrote songs that appealed to a wide audience, effectively satisfying his Nashville fans without alienating those more accustomed to pop music.

Jessie Keith Whitley was born July 1, 1955, in Sandy Hook, Ky. Learning to play guitar at age 6, he appeared on Buddy Starcher's regional TV show at age 8 and formed a bluegrass band with his friend Ricky Skaggs a few years later. When they were 15, Skaggs and Whitley were asked to play a local show when Ralph Stanley's entourage was running late.

Bob "Kid Rock" Ritchie (born Robert James Ritchie, January 17, 1971) grew up in Romeo, MI, a small rural town north of the Detroit metro area. Finding small-town life stiflingly dull, Ritchie immersed himself in rap music, learned to breakdance, and began making the talent-show rounds in Detroit.

Before forming the band Sugarland, each individual career of this Atlanta-based trio seemed headed in an opposite direction. Jennifer Nettles, a powerhouse singer with some serious twang, was working steadily on the local club circuit. Kristen Hall, a singer-songwriter specializing in searing heartache, had released two well-received solo albums.

Taylor Swift became one of country's brightest (and youngest) faces in 2006, when the 16-year-old released her first album. Although new to the American public, Swift had been performing since her preteen years in Wyomissing, PA, where she first took the stage as part of a children's theater troupe.

Alabama's members are lead singer, rhythm guitarist and songwriter Randy Owen; his cousin, bass player, songwriter and harmony vocalist Teddy Gentry; their distant cousin, multi-instrumentalist

 As the first artist signed to Arista Records' country division, Alan Jackson's first single, "Blue Blooded Woman," peaked at a dismal No. 45 on the country charts in 1989. Clearly, things improved 

Born July 23, 1971, Alison Krauss grew up in Champaign, Ill., where her parents encouraged her and her brother, Viktor, to play instruments at an early age. Soon after taking up the violin, Krauss

Andy Griggs was born Aug. 13, 1973, in Moore, La. His father was a probation/parole officer who led the choir at the family's church in West Monroe, La. Andy was just 10 when his father died suddenly. 

 When John Rich met Big Kenny in 1998, both had been through the record industry wringer. Rich had been in the country band Lonestar before launching a brief solo career. Big Kenny

 Billy Currington was raised in Rincon, Ga., about 30 minutes outside of Savannah, Ga. His mother married a man named Larry Currington when Billy was a year-and-a-half old. Through the next few

Billy Dean was born April 2, 1962, in Quincy, Fla., and received a basketball scholarship to attend East Central Junior College in Decatur, Miss, where he majored in physical education. However, he 

 Blake Shelton was born on June 18, 1976, in Ada, Okla. He wrote songs as a teenager and honed his performing style as he played honky-tonk bars and became a

 Contemporary country singer/songwriter Brad Paisley was born October 28, 1972, in Glen Dale, WV; given his first guitar at age eight, he delivered his first public performance at church two years later.

 Leon Eric "Kix" Brooks III was born May 12, 1955, in Shreveport, La., and worked the club circuit in Alaska and Maine before moving to Nashville in 1979. Ronnie Gene Dunn was born June 1, 1953, in Coleman, Texas, and briefly studied theology at Abilene (Texas) Christian College before moving to Tulsa, Okla.

Carrie Underwood was born March 10, 1983. Her family already owned the farm in Checotah, Okla., though Underwood was born in the next town over, the one made famous in Merle Haggard's song, "Okie From Muskogee."

Contemporary country singer/songwriter Chad Brock was born and raised in Ocala, FL; despite performing in the church choir throughout his youth, his initial love was athletics, and he was a highly touted high-school football player.

Chris Cagle was born on Nov. 10, 1968, in DeRidder, La. When he was 4, his family moved to the outskirts of Houston. The son of an Exxon supervisor, Cagle began guitar lessons at age 6 but gave up after a year because it was too difficult for his tiny hands to master the large classical guitar.

A native of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Chris Young grew up performing in children's theater where his family and friends discovered his singing talent. The youngster enjoyed the full support of his parents from the start.

Clay Walker was born Aug. 19, 1969, in Beaumont, Texas. He fell in love with country music at an early age, when his father gave him a guitar when he was only nine years old. After he graduated from high school, Walker pursued a musical career full-time, playing concerts across the South, the Midwest and Canada.

Clint Patrick Black was born in Long Branch, N.J., on Feb. 4, 1962, but raised in Houston. He dropped out of high school to play music, supporting himself with day jobs as ironworker and fishing guide. After building a local reputation, he was brought to the attention of RCA Records, which signed him to a recording contract in 1987.

Collin Raye was born Aug. 22, 1959, in DeQueen, Ark., with the name Floyd Collin Wray. Both of his parents were musical, and his mother, Lois Wray, was a regionally popular performer in East Texas who opened shows for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins in the 1950s.

 Often described as a cross between Alabama and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Confederate Railroad made their name with a party-ready hybrid of modern country and Southern rock, which also earned them comparisons to Charlie Daniels and Hank Williams, Jr.

Craig Morgan was born in Kingston Springs, Tenn., near Nashville. He became an emergency medical technician at 18, then joined the Army a few years later. In the midst of his military career, he was taking part in a banquet honoring the military's very first airborne unit and decided to write a song about them.

As the frontman of Hootie & the Blowfish, Darius Rucker was one of the most popular frontmen in mainstream pop/rock during the mid-'90s. The band's debut album, Cracked Rear View, was virtually inescapable in 1995, eventually selling more than 16 million copies and becoming one of the most successful albums of all time.

Born Jan. 7, 1959, in Herrin, Ill., David Lee Murphy worked for more than 10 years to secure a major label recording contract. Finally signing with MCA Records, he quickly regained ground with the success of his debut album, Out With a Bang, in 1995.

Deana Carter was born Jan. 4, 1966, in Nashville, Tenn. She is the daughter of Fred Carter Jr., a guitarist who in the mid-'60s and '70s played on close to 90 percent of all Nashville sessions with artists such as Elvis Presley, Simon & Garfunkel and Roy Orbison.

Diamond Rio include Marty Roe (vocals; born Dec. 28, 1960), Jimmy Olander (guitar; born Aug. 26, 1961), Gene Johnson (mandolin; born Aug. 10, 1949), Dan Truman (piano; born Aug. 29, 1956); Dana Williams (bass; born May 22, 1961) and Brian Prout (drums; born Dec. 4, 1955).

Growing up in a nonmusical family in Phoenix, AZ, country singer Dierks Bentley got his country music education on his own, listening to recordings. A love of the music inspired him to move to Nashville at the age of 19, but he quickly grew discouraged by the lack of public and professional interest coming his way.

The Dixie Chicks started out with sisters Martie (born Oct. 12, 1969) and Emily Erwin (born Aug. 16, 1972), who grew up attending bluegrass festivals and busking for spare change on Dallas street corners in 1989.

Contemporary country star Doug Stone made his name as a lonesome baritone balladeer, though he's also adept at hard uptempo country. Stone was born and raised in Newnan, GA, and learned guitar from his mother -- also a country singer -- starting at age five.

Dwight Yoakam was born in Pikeville, Ky., on Oct. 23, 1956, but spent a sizable portion of his youth in Ohio. Inspired by the Beatles and the Byrds, as well as the honky-tonk music of the area, he moved to Los Angeles in 1978 after years of rejection in Nashville.

Born and raised in rural Gilchrist County, FL, Easton Corbin remembered wanting to be a country singer as early as three or four years old. He spent a good deal of time at his grandparents' cattle farm following his parents' divorce, and aside from helping on the farm and being active in the local FFA and 4-H chapters, Corbin fell in love with the various Opry television shows that aired on Saturday nights

Eli Young Band was formed in 2000 by Mike Eli, who grew up just outside of Houston, and James Young, from Irving, Texas. Eli was raised on singer-songwriters like Rodney Crowell and Paul Simon, while Young was influenced by blues and rock artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Perry and Jimmy Page.

 It is an auspicious moment in the history of a band that began with a high school talent contest. On the bill was Brad Mates, an 11th-grader singing for the first time in front of an audience. In addition, Pat Allingham and his pal (and now Emerson keyboardist) Chris Hartman -- the two had been in school and church choirs together since kindergarten -- joined a few buddies to form an impromptu group doing an equally impromptu song.

Faith Hill (Audrey Faith Perry) was born on Sept. 21, 1967, in Jackson, Miss. Adopted at only a week old, she grew up in the small town of Star. She sang in church growing up and moved to Nashville at 19 to pursue a country music career.

Garth Brooks is a pivotal figure in the history of country music, no matter how much some country purists would like to deny it. With his commercially savvy fusion of post-Merle Haggard country, honky tonk, post-folk-rock sensitive singer/songwriter sensibilities, and '70s arena rock dramatics, Brooks brought country music to a new audience in the '90s -- namely, a mass audience.

Country singer and songwriter Jerrod Niemann has penned songs for Garth Brooks, Neal McCoy and Jamey Johnson, among others, and has built a strong fan base as a performer of his own material as well. Born in Harper, KS (but raised in nearby Liberal, KS), Niemann fell early under the spell of country legends like Lefty Frizzell, George Strait, and Keith Whitley, and soon learned to accompany himself on guitar while entering various talent contests.

Jo Dee Messina was born Aug. 25, 1970, in Holliston, Mass. At 16, she put together a band, handling publicity, marketing, booking, song selection and set lists. She even ran the soundboard from the stage. When she moved to Nashville, she brought that work ethic with her, surviving by entering -- and winning -- talent contests around town. 

Joe Nichols was born in Rogers, Ark., on Nov. 26, 1976. His father drove a truck but also played bass and sang. Nichols would hear and watch his dad perform at VFW dates. Like Nichols' grandfather and uncles, his dad played classic country music. 

John Anderson was born Dec. 13, 1954, in Orlando, Fla., and raised in Apopka, Fla. As an teen, Anderson played in a rock band, but ultimately pursued country music when he moved to Nashville in 1971 where he played in clubs and also helped build the Grand Ole Opry House.

Justin Moore was born and raised in Poyen, Ark. One set of his grandparents raised cattle and he helped with the chores. The other grandparents taught him how to hunt and fish. Although he was a star athlete in high school, he moved to Nashville after graduation to pursue a music career.

Women swoon every time hunky country heartthrob Keith Anderson takes the stage, but despite his good looks, Anderson's first big country music break was a behind-the-scenes job. Born near the Ozark Mountains in Miami, OK, Anderson grew up listening to the Southern-fried sound of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet along with numerous hair metal bands.

George Strait was born on May 18, 1952, in Poteet, Texas, the son of a junior high school teacher who also owned and operated a ranch that had been in the Strait family for nearly 100 years. When Strait was a child, his mother left the family, taking her daughter but leaving behind her sons with the father. During his childhood, he would spend his weekdays in town and his weekends on the ranch.

The winner of Fox TV's first American Idol competition during the summer of 2002, Kelly Clarkson went from an anonymous talent to a nationally known singer in a matter of months, performing for an audience of millions.

Jessica Andrews was born on Dec. 29, 1983, in Huntingdon, Tenn. She credits a fourth grade talent show with pointing the way to her current career path: "I was supposed to dance, but my sister told me I should sing. She heard me singing Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You' and talked me into doing it.

Josh Turner was born Nov. 20, 1977, and was raised in Hannah, S.C. Growing up in the church, he found himself singing the bass and baritone parts in numerous choirs. After high school, he moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music and enrolled in Belmont University.

 Little Texas was founded by singer Tim Rushlow and singer-guitarist Dwayne O'Brien, who first performed together in Arlington, Texas, in 1984. They renewed their partnership in Nashville in 1987 and fleshed out the band with lead guitarist Porter Howell and bassist Duane Propes.

Sammy Kershaw was born Feb. 24, 1958, in Abbeville, La., and raised in Kaplan, La. His father died when Sammy was 11, so Kershaw worked a variety of jobs by day while playing roadhouses at night to support his family. He opened shows for Ray Price, Merle Haggard and George Jones while barely into his teens.

Most country groups of the '80s favored a commercial pop-oriented approach that alienated many traditional listeners but captured the ear of the mainstream. Shenandoah was one of the first groups to rebel against the urban cowboy image of the '80s and lead the way to the new traditionalism of the '90s.

Jake Owen was raised in Vero Beach, Fla., and grew up with a passion for sports. At age 12, he took up golf and soon realized he had the knack for it. Before long, he had his eye on the professional circuit. When he enrolled at Florida State University (along with fraternal twin Jarrod), Owen became a walk-on member of the golf team, but a serious waterskiing accident quickly ended his professional golf aspirations

Naomi Judd was born Diana Ellen Judd on Jan. 11, 1946, in Ashland, Ky. Finding herself pregnant, she quickly got married but not to the father of her first child, daughter Christina Ciminella. Christina, born May 30, 1964, became known as Wynonna Judd when the mother-daughter duo stormed the country charts in the 1980s.

Shania Twain was born Eileen Edwards in Canada on Aug. 28, 1965, the second oldest of five siblings. She was raised in Timmins, Ontario, about 500 miles due north of Toronto, where her stepfather, an Ojibway Indian named Jerry Twain, and mother, Sharon, had both been raised. It was a proud but, at times, impoverished existence.

Tracy Byrd was born on Dec. 17, 1966, in Beaumont, Texas, and raised in nearby Vidor, Texas. He studied business at Southwest Texas State, then earned a residency with Mark Chesnutt at the local club Cutters. When Chesnutt found national success, Byrd formed his own band and took over the residency.

Contemporary country star Kenny Chesney didn't have the immediate breakout success that many of his peers enjoyed upon signing with major labels, but gradually built up a significant following via hard work, pop-friendly ballads, and a likable, average-guy persona. Chesney was born in Knoxville, TN, in 1968 and raised in the nearby small town of Luttrell, better known as the home of Chet Atkins. 

 Lady Antebellum is comprised of singers Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley and multi-instrumentalist Dave Haywood. Kelley and Haywood were classmates at the University of Georgia, studying finance, when they started writing songs together.

In 1996, LeAnn Rimes burst out of nowhere with her debut single, "Blue," which immediately captured the attention of country fans across America. It wasn't just the fact that her rich, powerful vocals were remarkably similar to Patsy Cline -- it was the fact that Rimes was only 13 years old. 

Lee Ann Womack was born Aug. 19, 1966, in Jacksonville, Texas. Her father was a part-time disc jockey who frequently took her to the studio and let her pick out records for him to play. (Bob Wills, Ray Price and Glen Campbell were her favorites.) At home, she would lie between the stereo speakers and -- when the weather conditions were right -- absorb the music beaming in from the Grand Ole Opry.

The country vocal quartet Little Big Town began with Kimberly Roads and Karen Fairchild, who began singing together at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. Fairchild moved to Nashville in 1994 to work for a booking agent on Music Row. Roads moved a year later. After they reunited, they invited Jimi Westbrook (a friend of Fairchild's) to sing with them and accompany them on guitar.

As the name implies, all of Lonestar's members drifted into Music City from Texas. Dean Sams was working at the Country Music USA show at the Opryland theme park when he began rounding up musicians for a band. By late 1992, Sams had recruited singer-songwriter Richie McDonald and vocalist John Rich, as well as two former members of the band Canyon -- Michael Britt and Keech Rainwater.

Mark Chesnutt was born on Sept. 6, 1963, in Beaumont, Texas. As a torchbearer for traditional country music, Chesnutt arrived at Nashville's commercial heyday in the early 1990s. His first single, 1990's "Too Cold at Home" marked a string of 12 Top 10 hits for MCA Nashville.

Martina McBride (born Martina Schiff) was born July 29, 1966, in Sharon, Kan., and grew up on a farm singing country music from the moment she could tiptoe up to a mike. Before launching her own career on RCA Records, McBride learned about life on the road by selling T-shirts at Garth Brooks concerts.

Miranda Lambert was born Nov. 10, 1983, and is a native of Lindale, Texas. Her father Rick is a country guitarist and songwriter who gathered friends and neighbors often to his rural home. During the week, he and Miranda's mother Bev run a detective agency. But country music is the heart of the household on weekends, with the young Lambert raised on the songs of Guy Clark, Jerry Jeff Walker, Merle Haggard and her dad.

Gerald Edward (Eddie) Montgomery was born Sept. 30, 1963, in Danville, Ky. Troy Gentry was born April 5, 1967, in Lexington, Ky. Both proud Kentucky natives, Gentry and Montgomery's first joint musical effort was as part of a band called Young Country.

Patty Loveless was born Jan. 4, 1957, in Pikeville, Ky., with the name Patricia Ramey. As a young girl, she listened to the Opry on a radio propped in the kitchen window and first saw live music when her father, a coal miner, took her to see Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs at the Polly Anna Drive-In.

 A country trio known primarily for its pleasing harmony and Grammy-winning songcraft, Rascal Flatts are comprised of Gary LeVox, Jay Demarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. Cousins Demarcus and LeVox grew up in Columbus, OH, a town Demarcus eventually left in 1992 to pursue a music career in Nashville.

Heath Wright, lead singer of Ricochet, was born April 22, 1967, and raised in Vian, Okla. The band Ricochet was formed after brothers Jeff and Junior Bryant disbanded their own Texas-based band, Lariat, to team with Wright, as well as musicians Greg Cook, Teddy Carr and Eddie Kilgallon.

Rodney Atkins was born March 28, 1969, in Knoxville, Tenn., and was an adopted child. As an infant at the Holston Methodist Home for Children in Greeneville, Tenn., he was so sick that two couples who had taken him home returned him just a few days later. A third couple from Cumberland Gap, Tenn., adopted him as well and, even though his ailments worsened, refused to give him up.

Sara Evans was born Feb. 5, 1971, in Boonville, Mo., and raised on a farm near New Franklin, Mo. Two of her brothers began playing instruments, at when Evans was 4, her mother discovered that her daughter could sing. Soon, the family act was helping to support the household, earning $50 a night.

Taking their name from the Nashville street where they once rehearsed, Sawyer Brown made their national TV debut on the show Star Search in 1984. After winning $100,000, the band landed a record deal with Curb Records and charted its first single, "Leona," the same year. Following up with pulsating party songs "Step That Step" and "Betty's Bein' Bad," Sawyer Brown won the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 1985.

A country singing duo who took the 21st century path of winning a television talent show (Can You Duet) to break into the public eye, Steel Magnolia consist of Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones. A native of Ponchatoula, LA, Linsey formed the duo with Jones, her boyfriend, whom she met while serving as a karaoke host in a Nashville bar.

Sheryl Crow was born Feb. 11, 1962, in Kennett, Mo. Her parents played in swing bands, her mother as vocalist and her father as a trumpeter with his close friend Leo. After Leo's sudden death, her father put away his trumpet and did not play again until his daughter recorded the tribute song, "We Do What We Can."

Randy Travis was born with the name Randy Traywick in Marshville, N.C., on May 4, 1959. He grew up a hellraiser, by drinking, fighting, dabbling in drugs and committing petty crimes on a path heading straight toward prison. But the rebel ninth-grade dropout "found himself" in the spotlight of a Charlotte, N.C., nightclub, where he won a talent show.

Toby Keith spent the '90s as a solid, workmanlike country star who met with considerable chart success, yet never quite broke free of the neo-traditionalist pack to become a household name like Garth Brooks orAlan Jackson.

As a songwriter and a performer, Willie Nelson played a vital role in post-rock & roll country music. Although he didn't become a star until the mid-'70s, Nelson spent the '60s writing songs that became hits for stars like Ray Price ("Night Life"), Patsy Cline ("Crazy"), Faron Young ("Hello Walls"), and Billy Walker ("Funny How Time Slips Away") as well as releasing a series of records on Liberty and RCA that earned him a small, but devoted, cult following.

Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins was born Jan. 13, 1962, in Springhill, La. He first began performing with a gospel quartet while still attending high school in the nearby town of Sarepta. He continued to sing gospel throughout his years at Louisiana Tech University, where he studied petroleum technology.

Born on Jan. 27, 1968, in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in tiny Foreman, Ark., Tracy Lawrence drew from a rich musical heritage that included such Southern rockers as Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, as well as country traditionalists George Strait and Merle Haggard. He earned his performing stripes by touring the area's bars, honky-tonks and jamborees when barely old enough to drive.

Travis Tritt was one of the leading new country singers of the early '90s, holding his own against Garth Brooks, Clint Black, and Alan Jackson. He was the only one not to wear a hat and the only one to dip into bluesy Southern rock. Consequently, he developed a gutsy, outlaw image that distinguished him from the pack.

Trisha Yearwood initially rose to fame as a protégée of Garth Brooks but quickly staked out her own identity as an assertive yet vulnerable modern woman. Yearwood was born in the small town of Monticello, Ga., in 1964 and grew up on a farm owned by her father, who also worked as a prominent local banker.

Ty Herndon was born May 2, 1962, and raised in Butler, Ala. He grew up with a background of family singing, both at home and in church. He went to Nashville to seek his fortune, performing at Opryland theme park sporadically throughout the 1980s and he attended Belmont University on scholarship.

In 2004, Michelle Branch took a break from her successful solo career to team with friend and touring backup singer Jessica Harp in a new project called the Wreckers. Previous to the Branch collaboration, Harp had been working as a singer-songwriter in Nashville, and those country music elements mixed with Branch's pop sensibilities to inform the Wreckers' rootsy, harmony-rich sound.

Mary Chapin Carpenter was born Feb. 21, 1958, in Princeton, N.J. Her father was an executive for Life magazine, and she spent part of her early life living in Japan. She grew up with a love of contemporary pop hits, although her mother's Woody Guthrie and Judy Collins records gave her some interest in country/folk music. She spent her time at home with her guitar, and her father encouraged her to perform at talent nights.

Pam Tillis was born July 24, 1957, in Plant City, Fla. As the daughter of country star Mel Tillis, she grew up in Nashville and made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry at age 8, singing "Tom Dooley." Early in her career, she worked as a backup vocalist, demo singer, club performer and songwriter and also sang jingles for Hardee's and Equal Sweetener.

Known to friends and family as Matt Shafer, Uncle Kracker was first known as the man behind the turntables in Kid Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker band. A 13-year-old Kracker first hooked up with the young man who would be Kid Rock back in 1987.

Born on April 12, 1957, in Norman, Okla., Vince Gill enjoyed acclaim in the bluegrass and pop worlds before actively pursuing a career in mainstream country during the '80s. His greatest passions -- music and golf -- were influenced by his father, a federal appellate court judge. After performing in a band in high school, Gill joined the Bluegrass Alliance and moved to Kentucky in 1975.

Wynonna Judd was born with the name Christina Ciminella on May 30, 1964, in Ashland, Ky. She first became famous as one-half of the Judds, one of the most successful country acts of the 1980s. Her mother (temporarily) retired from the road at the end of 1991, paving the way for Wynonna's passionate solo debut in 1992.

Zac Brown was raised in Dahlonega, Ga. The former restaurant owner started his music career as a solo artist, but in 2004, he formed the Zac Brown Band with bassist John Hopkins and fiddler Jimmy De Martini; more recent additions are guitarist/organist Coy Bowles and drummer Chris Fryar.

When Tim McGraw debuted in the early '90s, few would have predicted that he would eventually take over Garth Brooks' position as the most popular male singer in country music. Yet that's exactly what he did, thanks to a string of multi-platinum albums, a high-profile marriage to fellow superstar Faith Hill, and Brooks' own inevitable decline.

Gary Allan was born Dec. 5, 1967, in Montebello, Calif., with the name Gary Herzberg. He was raised in La Mirada, Calif., and in his teens, he began to play the honky-tonk circuit. After turning down a record deal while still in high school, Allan eventually signed to Decca Records in 1996.

Gretchen Wilson was born on June 26, 1973, and raised in rural Pocahontas, Ill., 36 miles due east of St. Louis, where numerous trailer parks are clustered among cornfields and pig farms. Her mother was 16 years old when she had Gretchen, and her father, unfortunately, had moved on with his life by the time she was 2.

Jaron and the Long Road to Love features Jaron Lowenstein, who previously found pop success with his brother in the duo of Evan and Jaron. The identical twins' debut album was released in 2000 and contained three Top 40 hits, including "Crazy for This Girl."

Country singer and guitarist Jason Aldean was born in Macon, GA, in 1977. His parents separated when he was three years old, and he spent his childhood with his mother in Macon through the school year while spending the summers with his father in Homestead, FL.

Jimmy Wayne was born Oct. 23, 1972, in Cleveland County, N.C. He endured a tumultuous childhood, as his father abandoned the family when Wayne was a toddler, and his mother was in and out of prison twice. Growing up in foster homes, Wayne became an avid journal-keeper, using writing as a way of therapy.

Although born in New Zealand and raised in nearby Australia, Keith Urban made his biggest splash in Nashville, where he helped rewrite the rules of contemporary country music. By embracing drum loops and elements of Top 40 pop, Urban wrote songs that appealed to a wide audience, effectively satisfying his Nashville fans without alienating those more accustomed to pop music.

Jessie Keith Whitley was born July 1, 1955, in Sandy Hook, Ky. Learning to play guitar at age 6, he appeared on Buddy Starcher's regional TV show at age 8 and formed a bluegrass band with his friend Ricky Skaggs a few years later. When they were 15, Skaggs and Whitley were asked to play a local show when Ralph Stanley's entourage was running late.

Bob "Kid Rock" Ritchie (born Robert James Ritchie, January 17, 1971) grew up in Romeo, MI, a small rural town north of the Detroit metro area. Finding small-town life stiflingly dull, Ritchie immersed himself in rap music, learned to breakdance, and began making the talent-show rounds in Detroit.

Before forming the band Sugarland, each individual career of this Atlanta-based trio seemed headed in an opposite direction. Jennifer Nettles, a powerhouse singer with some serious twang, was working steadily on the local club circuit. Kristen Hall, a singer-songwriter specializing in searing heartache, had released two well-received solo albums.

Taylor Swift became one of country's brightest (and youngest) faces in 2006, when the 16-year-old released her first album. Although new to the American public, Swift had been performing since her preteen years in Wyomissing, PA, where she first took the stage as part of a children's theater troupe.

Alabama's members are lead singer, rhythm guitarist and songwriter Randy Owen; his cousin, bass player, songwriter and harmony vocalist Teddy Gentry; their distant cousin, multi-instrumentalist

 As the first artist signed to Arista Records' country division, Alan Jackson's first single, "Blue Blooded Woman," peaked at a dismal No. 45 on the country charts in 1989. Clearly, things improved 

Born July 23, 1971, Alison Krauss grew up in Champaign, Ill., where her parents encouraged her and her brother, Viktor, to play instruments at an early age. Soon after taking up the violin, Krauss

Andy Griggs was born Aug. 13, 1973, in Moore, La. His father was a probation/parole officer who led the choir at the family's church in West Monroe, La. Andy was just 10 when his father died suddenly. 

 When John Rich met Big Kenny in 1998, both had been through the record industry wringer. Rich had been in the country band Lonestar before launching a brief solo career. Big Kenny

 Billy Currington was raised in Rincon, Ga., about 30 minutes outside of Savannah, Ga. His mother married a man named Larry Currington when Billy was a year-and-a-half old. Through the next few

Billy Dean was born April 2, 1962, in Quincy, Fla., and received a basketball scholarship to attend East Central Junior College in Decatur, Miss, where he majored in physical education. However, he 

 Blake Shelton was born on June 18, 1976, in Ada, Okla. He wrote songs as a teenager and honed his performing style as he played honky-tonk bars and became a

 Contemporary country singer/songwriter Brad Paisley was born October 28, 1972, in Glen Dale, WV; given his first guitar at age eight, he delivered his first public performance at church two years later.

 Leon Eric "Kix" Brooks III was born May 12, 1955, in Shreveport, La., and worked the club circuit in Alaska and Maine before moving to Nashville in 1979. Ronnie Gene Dunn was born June 1, 1953, in Coleman, Texas, and briefly studied theology at Abilene (Texas) Christian College before moving to Tulsa, Okla.

Carrie Underwood was born March 10, 1983. Her family already owned the farm in Checotah, Okla., though Underwood was born in the next town over, the one made famous in Merle Haggard's song, "Okie From Muskogee."

Contemporary country singer/songwriter Chad Brock was born and raised in Ocala, FL; despite performing in the church choir throughout his youth, his initial love was athletics, and he was a highly touted high-school football player.

Chris Cagle was born on Nov. 10, 1968, in DeRidder, La. When he was 4, his family moved to the outskirts of Houston. The son of an Exxon supervisor, Cagle began guitar lessons at age 6 but gave up after a year because it was too difficult for his tiny hands to master the large classical guitar.

A native of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Chris Young grew up performing in children's theater where his family and friends discovered his singing talent. The youngster enjoyed the full support of his parents from the start.

Clay Walker was born Aug. 19, 1969, in Beaumont, Texas. He fell in love with country music at an early age, when his father gave him a guitar when he was only nine years old. After he graduated from high school, Walker pursued a musical career full-time, playing concerts across the South, the Midwest and Canada.

Clint Patrick Black was born in Long Branch, N.J., on Feb. 4, 1962, but raised in Houston. He dropped out of high school to play music, supporting himself with day jobs as ironworker and fishing guide. After building a local reputation, he was brought to the attention of RCA Records, which signed him to a recording contract in 1987.

Collin Raye was born Aug. 22, 1959, in DeQueen, Ark., with the name Floyd Collin Wray. Both of his parents were musical, and his mother, Lois Wray, was a regionally popular performer in East Texas who opened shows for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins in the 1950s.

 Often described as a cross between Alabama and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Confederate Railroad made their name with a party-ready hybrid of modern country and Southern rock, which also earned them comparisons to Charlie Daniels and Hank Williams, Jr.

Craig Morgan was born in Kingston Springs, Tenn., near Nashville. He became an emergency medical technician at 18, then joined the Army a few years later. In the midst of his military career, he was taking part in a banquet honoring the military's very first airborne unit and decided to write a song about them.

As the frontman of Hootie & the Blowfish, Darius Rucker was one of the most popular frontmen in mainstream pop/rock during the mid-'90s. The band's debut album, Cracked Rear View, was virtually inescapable in 1995, eventually selling more than 16 million copies and becoming one of the most successful albums of all time.

Born Jan. 7, 1959, in Herrin, Ill., David Lee Murphy worked for more than 10 years to secure a major label recording contract. Finally signing with MCA Records, he quickly regained ground with the success of his debut album, Out With a Bang, in 1995.

Deana Carter was born Jan. 4, 1966, in Nashville, Tenn. She is the daughter of Fred Carter Jr., a guitarist who in the mid-'60s and '70s played on close to 90 percent of all Nashville sessions with artists such as Elvis Presley, Simon & Garfunkel and Roy Orbison.

Diamond Rio include Marty Roe (vocals; born Dec. 28, 1960), Jimmy Olander (guitar; born Aug. 26, 1961), Gene Johnson (mandolin; born Aug. 10, 1949), Dan Truman (piano; born Aug. 29, 1956); Dana Williams (bass; born May 22, 1961) and Brian Prout (drums; born Dec. 4, 1955).

Growing up in a nonmusical family in Phoenix, AZ, country singer Dierks Bentley got his country music education on his own, listening to recordings. A love of the music inspired him to move to Nashville at the age of 19, but he quickly grew discouraged by the lack of public and professional interest coming his way.

The Dixie Chicks started out with sisters Martie (born Oct. 12, 1969) and Emily Erwin (born Aug. 16, 1972), who grew up attending bluegrass festivals and busking for spare change on Dallas street corners in 1989.

Contemporary country star Doug Stone made his name as a lonesome baritone balladeer, though he's also adept at hard uptempo country. Stone was born and raised in Newnan, GA, and learned guitar from his mother -- also a country singer -- starting at age five.

Dwight Yoakam was born in Pikeville, Ky., on Oct. 23, 1956, but spent a sizable portion of his youth in Ohio. Inspired by the Beatles and the Byrds, as well as the honky-tonk music of the area, he moved to Los Angeles in 1978 after years of rejection in Nashville.

Born and raised in rural Gilchrist County, FL, Easton Corbin remembered wanting to be a country singer as early as three or four years old. He spent a good deal of time at his grandparents' cattle farm following his parents' divorce, and aside from helping on the farm and being active in the local FFA and 4-H chapters, Corbin fell in love with the various Opry television shows that aired on Saturday nights

Eli Young Band was formed in 2000 by Mike Eli, who grew up just outside of Houston, and James Young, from Irving, Texas. Eli was raised on singer-songwriters like Rodney Crowell and Paul Simon, while Young was influenced by blues and rock artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Perry and Jimmy Page.