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Greatest (male) country artist/s of the 1980's

YellowSnow
YellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 37,319 Founders Club
in Yellow Snow's Record Shoppe

Greatest (male) country artist/s of the 1980's 22 votes

Dwight Yokam
9%
SwayeUW_Doog_Bot 2 votes
Oak Ridge Boys
0%
Alabama
0%
Steve Earl
4%
YouKnowIt 1 vote
George Straight
31%
Mad_SongreenbloodTequillaJaWarrenJaHookerhuskyhooliganBendintheriverFishpo31 7 votes
Hank Williams Jr
31%
AtomicDawgdncalumni94DHDYellowSnowEl_KJoey 7 votes
Keith Whitely
0%
John Anderson
0%
Randy Travis
22%
DerekJohnsonPurpleThrobberLebamDawgBleachedAnusDawgStLouisDawg 5 votes
Eddie Rabbit
0%
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  • YellowSnow
    YellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 37,319 Founders Club
    Hank Williams Jr
    @Swaye queef something outta that red twat of yours. Wanna talk some cuntry music.
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  • LebamDawg
    LebamDawg Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 8,792 Swaye's Wigwam
    Randy Travis
    this is totally unfair - We need to do this so we can pick four. but if I had to pick one I guess I can - just not right now
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  • El_K
    El_K Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 1,490 Swaye's Wigwam
    Hank Williams Jr
    I hate country western music, but I do like me some Bocephus. As Alex Van Halen said Bocephus rules and rules them all.
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  • PurpleThrobber
    PurpleThrobber Member Posts: 48,124 Standard Supporter
    Randy Travis
    Even during my Bobby Brown/My Prerogative phase, played the living shit out of Randy Travis.

    You’ve been too gone for too long...


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  • BleachedAnusDawg
    BleachedAnusDawg Member Posts: 13,313 Standard Supporter
    Randy Travis
    Only recognize a few of these names. Probably should've voted for Hank as I realized after voting that he did the OG Monday Night Football song (I think).
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  • Swaye
    Swaye Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 41,739 Founders Club
    edited October 2021
    Dwight Yokam
    Im ensuring Dwight gets a vote. I'd also add Ronnie Milsap. Also Kenny Rogers has to be on there.

    edit: To be fair a lot of Ronnies work was done in the 70's, but most of his biggest hits were early 80s. He had an absolutely absurd 40 #1 hits.

    edit number 2: Don Williams. Another of those guys who got started in the 70's but probably had his heyday in the 80s. I Believe In You is one of the biggest hits ever in country music (1981).

    edit number 3: Ricky Scaggs. I know he is bluegrass but he is absolutely essential to any 80's country grouping.
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  • Fishpo31
    Fishpo31 Member Posts: 2,639
    George Straight
    I voted for George b/c he's got some swing in there, which tied him to Willie, which tied him to Bob Wills, for me. In this time period, I began to pick up on the Alt stuff (Sir Doug, Dwight, Steve E., Rodney Crowell, Jerry Jeff...et.al) and going backwards into the 70's / 60's for Willie, Waylon, Merle, Buck, Johnny, Roger Miller and Charlie Pride.

    My roomies in college wore me out on Bocephus and Bama, from which I have not recovered. I still will cherry pick some Jr., as well as John Anderson (Seminole Wind and Swinging, specifically).
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  • YellowSnow
    YellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 37,319 Founders Club
    Hank Williams Jr
    Swaye said:

    Im ensuring Dwight gets a vote. I'd also add Ronnie Milsap. Also Kenny Rogers has to be on there.

    edit: To be fair a lot of Ronnies work was done in the 70's, but most of his biggest hits were early 80s. He had an absolutely absurd 40 #1 hits.

    edit number 2: Don Williams. Another of those guys who got started in the 70's but probably had his heyday in the 80s. I Believe In You is one of the biggest hits ever in country music (1981).

    edit number 3: Ricky Scaggs. I know he is bluegrass but he is absolutely essential to any 80's country grouping.

    Ronnie and Don Williams are both tweeners which makes it hard. They were major stars in the second half of the 70s who continued to have success in the early 80s.

    Hank Jr is a bit of a tweener too, but he ready didn't break through commercially until 1979 and his biggest period of superstardom was the first half of the 1980's.

    Bocephus gets my vote here rather easily. I like King George a lot and his voice was 2nd to none. But when I comes to cuntry, I'm always gonna lean to rough, rowdy, outlaw, honky tonk over the smooth stuff like George Straight or Randy Travis. Plus Hank Jr wrote most of his hits and George did not.
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  • UW_Doog_Bot
    UW_Doog_Bot Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 18,185 Founders Club
    Dwight Yokam
    Swaye said:

    Im ensuring Dwight gets a vote. I'd also add Ronnie Milsap. Also Kenny Rogers has to be on there.

    edit: To be fair a lot of Ronnies work was done in the 70's, but most of his biggest hits were early 80s. He had an absolutely absurd 40 #1 hits.

    edit number 2: Don Williams. Another of those guys who got started in the 70's but probably had his heyday in the 80s. I Believe In You is one of the biggest hits ever in country music (1981).

    edit number 3: Ricky Scaggs. I know he is bluegrass but he is absolutely essential to any 80's country grouping.

    You should have known I'd vote for Bakersfield sound.
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  • YellowSnow
    YellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 37,319 Founders Club
    Hank Williams Jr
    UW_Doog_Bot said:

    Swaye said:

    Im ensuring Dwight gets a vote. I'd also add Ronnie Milsap. Also Kenny Rogers has to be on there.

    edit: To be fair a lot of Ronnies work was done in the 70's, but most of his biggest hits were early 80s. He had an absolutely absurd 40 #1 hits.

    edit number 2: Don Williams. Another of those guys who got started in the 70's but probably had his heyday in the 80s. I Believe In You is one of the biggest hits ever in country music (1981).

    edit number 3: Ricky Scaggs. I know he is bluegrass but he is absolutely essential to any 80's country grouping.

    You should have known I'd vote for Bakersfield sound.

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  • YellowSnow
    YellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 37,319 Founders Club
    Hank Williams Jr
    YellowSnow said:

    UW_Doog_Bot said:

    Swaye said:

    Im ensuring Dwight gets a vote. I'd also add Ronnie Milsap. Also Kenny Rogers has to be on there.

    edit: To be fair a lot of Ronnies work was done in the 70's, but most of his biggest hits were early 80s. He had an absolutely absurd 40 #1 hits.

    edit number 2: Don Williams. Another of those guys who got started in the 70's but probably had his heyday in the 80s. I Believe In You is one of the biggest hits ever in country music (1981).

    edit number 3: Ricky Scaggs. I know he is bluegrass but he is absolutely essential to any 80's country grouping.

    You should have known I'd vote for Bakersfield sound.
    To me, Bakersfield, is on the Mt Rushmore of all time most important country music towns.

    Being a native Cali Fag who's ancestors come from the valley, I can get behind this.
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  • kanehall
    kanehall Member Posts: 38
    Waylon Jennings. Not even close....
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  • dnc
    dnc Member Posts: 56,840
    Hank Williams Jr
    Yoakam*
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  • YellowSnow
    YellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 37,319 Founders Club
    Hank Williams Jr
    kanehall said:

    Waylon Jennings. Not even close....

    Wrong decade.
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  • YellowSnow
    YellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 37,319 Founders Club
    Hank Williams Jr
    dnc said:

    Yoakam*

    Cuntry folks don’t spell good. You know this.
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  • greenblood
    greenblood Member Posts: 14,560
    George Straight
    Swaye said:

    Im ensuring Dwight gets a vote. I'd also add Ronnie Milsap. Also Kenny Rogers has to be on there.

    edit: To be fair a lot of Ronnies work was done in the 70's, but most of his biggest hits were early 80s. He had an absolutely absurd 40 #1 hits.

    edit number 2: Don Williams. Another of those guys who got started in the 70's but probably had his heyday in the 80s. I Believe In You is one of the biggest hits ever in country music (1981).

    edit number 3: Ricky Scaggs. I know he is bluegrass but he is absolutely essential to any 80's country grouping.

    Outside of The Gambler, I've never been a fan of Kenny. Ronnie Milsap on the other hand, legendary.
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  • YellowSnow
    YellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 37,319 Founders Club
    Hank Williams Jr
    greenblood said:

    Swaye said:

    Im ensuring Dwight gets a vote. I'd also add Ronnie Milsap. Also Kenny Rogers has to be on there.

    edit: To be fair a lot of Ronnies work was done in the 70's, but most of his biggest hits were early 80s. He had an absolutely absurd 40 #1 hits.

    edit number 2: Don Williams. Another of those guys who got started in the 70's but probably had his heyday in the 80s. I Believe In You is one of the biggest hits ever in country music (1981).

    edit number 3: Ricky Scaggs. I know he is bluegrass but he is absolutely essential to any 80's country grouping.

    Outside of The Gambler, I've never been a fan of Kenny. Ronnie Milsap on the other hand, legendary.
    Kenny will be in the 70's which is where most of hits came. He had some great stuff outside of the Gambler cliche.
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  • Joey
    Joey Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 7,281 Founders Club
    Hank Williams Jr
    Hank Jr can play the shit out of guitar. Writes a lot of his own shit. Also spawned Hank 3 who I play the shit out of to this day.

    Only knock I ever had on King George was he doesn’t write his hit songs.

    Milsap should be up there.

    Basically everybody up there is in my wheelhouse (mid 80’s-late 90’s)
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  • LebamDawg
    LebamDawg Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 8,792 Swaye's Wigwam
    Randy Travis
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgJXbIP83A8
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  • StLouisDawg
    StLouisDawg Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 553 Founders Club
    Randy Travis
    I listen to Don Williams all the time. It’s the truth.

    A lot of shit music in the 80’s country, but Garth and the revolution started at the end of that decade so it’s not all bad.
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  • Tequilla
    Tequilla Member Posts: 20,102
    George Straight
    FUCK OFF for not spelling King George properly ... or just simply calling him King George
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  • Tequilla
    Tequilla Member Posts: 20,102
    George Straight
    King George is King George ... he's so far and away ahead of anybody else regardless of the decade throughout his career that it's hard to find anybody even close to comparable. Even if you want to ding him for not being the primary song writer (which he was at least involved in the 80s), that's fine ... he still kicks everybody's ass.

    As it comes to most iconic songs of the decade, you have to start with Randy Travis as "Forever and Ever Amen" is purely iconic. Honorable mention to iconic songs coming from Keith Whitley's "When You Say Nothing at All"

    Hank's iconic and his high points match anybody's ... you can't have a discussion about 80s Country without Hank

    Love them or hate them, the pure accomplishments of Alabama you can't ignore

    Kenny Rogers is a really interesting call out because while most think he's from the 70s, the balance of his hits come from the 80s. The biggest accomplishment that I see with Kenny Rogers is he really was in my view the first country artist that really crossed over successfully to the point where you didn't think you were listening to country. "Lady" is iconic ... somebody smarter than me probably can figure this out but it reached #1 on the Country, Adult Contemporary, and Hot 100 charts ... I suspect the list of songs to reach #1 on all 3 is a short list. I'd also be willing to bet he's one of the few to do it multiple times with "Islands in the Stream" with Dolly Parton ... another purely iconic song. The duet aspect was something that few could match his success there including high charting duets with Kim Carnes and Sheila Easton. His 80s resume is definitely deep enough to be considered here.
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  • PurpleThrobber
    PurpleThrobber Member Posts: 48,124 Standard Supporter
    Randy Travis
    Can't much argue against George Strait.

    The Throbber just happens to like Randy Travis better.

    And since you mentioned Sheena (not Sheila) Easton, you're welcome. brb, jo.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3mSb6IGCZw
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  • RaceBannon
    RaceBannon Member, Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 114,111 Founders Club
    Sheena Easton got killed on Miami Vice
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  • YellowSnow
    YellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 37,319 Founders Club
    Hank Williams Jr
    Tequilla said:

    King George is King George ... he's so far and away ahead of anybody else regardless of the decade throughout his career that it's hard to find anybody even close to comparable. Even if you want to ding him for not being the primary song writer (which he was at least involved in the 80s), that's fine ... he still kicks everybody's ass.

    As it comes to most iconic songs of the decade, you have to start with Randy Travis as "Forever and Ever Amen" is purely iconic. Honorable mention to iconic songs coming from Keith Whitley's "When You Say Nothing at All"

    Hank's iconic and his high points match anybody's ... you can't have a discussion about 80s Country without Hank

    Love them or hate them, the pure accomplishments of Alabama you can't ignore

    Kenny Rogers is a really interesting call out because while most think he's from the 70s, the balance of his hits come from the 80s. The biggest accomplishment that I see with Kenny Rogers is he really was in my view the first country artist that really crossed over successfully to the point where you didn't think you were listening to country. "Lady" is iconic ... somebody smarter than me probably can figure this out but it reached #1 on the Country, Adult Contemporary, and Hot 100 charts ... I suspect the list of songs to reach #1 on all 3 is a short list. I'd also be willing to bet he's one of the few to do it multiple times with "Islands in the Stream" with Dolly Parton ... another purely iconic song. The duet aspect was something that few could match his success there including high charting duets with Kim Carnes and Sheila Easton. His 80s resume is definitely deep enough to be considered here.

    So in this exercise, I'm giving each artist one decade. Kenny is a tweener no doubt, but I think this case can be made that most of his best songs came out in the 70s.

    Look at Kenny's Greatest Hits Album which was released in Sept 1980. Most of the tracks were 1979 and prior.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatest_Hits_(1980_Kenny_Rogers_album)
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  • YellowSnow
    YellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 37,319 Founders Club
    Hank Williams Jr
    Tequilla said:

    King George is King George ... he's so far and away ahead of anybody else regardless of the decade throughout his career that it's hard to find anybody even close to comparable. Even if you want to ding him for not being the primary song writer (which he was at least involved in the 80s), that's fine ... he still kicks everybody's ass.

    As it comes to most iconic songs of the decade, you have to start with Randy Travis as "Forever and Ever Amen" is purely iconic. Honorable mention to iconic songs coming from Keith Whitley's "When You Say Nothing at All"

    Hank's iconic and his high points match anybody's ... you can't have a discussion about 80s Country without Hank

    Love them or hate them, the pure accomplishments of Alabama you can't ignore

    Kenny Rogers is a really interesting call out because while most think he's from the 70s, the balance of his hits come from the 80s. The biggest accomplishment that I see with Kenny Rogers is he really was in my view the first country artist that really crossed over successfully to the point where you didn't think you were listening to country. "Lady" is iconic ... somebody smarter than me probably can figure this out but it reached #1 on the Country, Adult Contemporary, and Hot 100 charts ... I suspect the list of songs to reach #1 on all 3 is a short list. I'd also be willing to bet he's one of the few to do it multiple times with "Islands in the Stream" with Dolly Parton ... another purely iconic song. The duet aspect was something that few could match his success there including high charting duets with Kim Carnes and Sheila Easton. His 80s resume is definitely deep enough to be considered here.

    So back in the early 1980's my daddy started getting serious into cuntry music. He was a Chevy Dealer in those days and did a lot of advertising on KSON, the big FM station for cuntry in San Diego county. @RaceBannon can attest to this, but rural San Diego county is hick ad fuck and they loved them some KSON radio.

    On family road trips my dad can a big case full of Reba, King George, Randy Travis, Lyle Lovett, Hank Jr, Willie, etc. Most of them did nothing for a young Yella Piss (inc King George), but I was enthralled with Hank Jr and Willie from the get go.

    I came to appreciate Strait later on in life, and, again, I love his albums from the mid 1980s. But he'll never be on my cuntry Mt Rushmore of Johnny, Merle, Waylon and Willie. George had a top shelf voice but lacks the bad ass life story of the all time greats. Combine this with the lack of songwriting and pressed Wranglers, I'm just not quite there.

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  • YellowSnow
    YellowSnow Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 37,319 Founders Club
    Hank Williams Jr
    YouKnowIt said:

    https://youtu.be/xvaEJzoaYZk

    Bad ass.
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