Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThisUp and Comers
Carolyn Dawn JohnsonCanadian songwriter Johnson, 30, is the voice of young women searching for self. Her songs carry "a tinge of hope," she says, that "if you keep believing there's light at the end of the tunnel, then it's okay."
Kenny Chesney
Two years ago, 35-year-old Chesney pumped up his body and his show, adding rock-style elements to emerge as the voice of Young Country. "I'm constantly putting myself in the place of the guy and girl out there in the audience, wondering, 'What's it going to take to turn them on, and turn me on, too?' "
Lonestar
They started out playing mainstream country but morphed into an adult-contemporary band with the success of songs like "I'm Already There," about a man who wishes he was home instead of on the road. "My priorities changed when I married and had children," says lead singer Richie McDonald. "I realized what's important."
Keith Urban
A guitar-slinger who moved here in 1992 from Brisbane, Australia, Urban (right) combines sex appeal with universal lyrics, some that chronicle his struggles with drug addiction. "What I love about music," says Urban, 36, "is that it connects people who probably wouldn't have thought they had anything in common."
Rascal Flatts
In June, they made country's first bare-bottomed music video entitled "I Melt." (That's guitarist Joe Don Rooney's derriere.) Now their "tween" generation fans are melting over their fresh harmonies and bouncy love songs. "Parents thank us for doing the music we do," says Rooney, "because they can enjoy it with their kids." (Wonder what they think about the, uh, exposure?)
Where Are They Now?
Reba McEntire
One of country's most fully realized performers, McEntire has sold 48 million CDs, battled monsters in the movies, shot up Broadway in Annie Get Your Gun ("The hardest job I've ever had in my life," she has said), and climbed the bestseller lists. She returns to recording on her first album in four years this November, while co-executive producing her popular WB television comedy, "Reba."
And McEntire insists she doesn't think of herself as a star! "I'm just a twinkle," she says. "I'm working on it."
Willie Nelson
At 70, "The Redheaded Stranger" shows no signs of slowing down. His 2003 duet with Toby Keith hung on to the No. 1 spot for six weeks. His May TV birthday bash, "Live & Kickin'," was one of the most watched concerts in cable history, and he continues to sell out shows. He also actively supports various causes including Farm Aid, an organization he co-founded to give back to rural communities. "I think country stars should get involved with America," Nelson says. "A lot of people call it politics and that's okay. There are times in your life when you have to figure out which side you're on."
Dolly Parton
At 57, the cantilevered singer has so many projects going -- from a new patriotic album to a TV movie in which she plays Mae West -- that she feels young enough to have just started in the business. "Music is my therapist, my love, my job and my joy," she says. But her philanthropic duties, including children's literacy and an American eagle preservation program through her Dollywood Foundation, keep her equally centered -- and modest. Of her CMA nomination for 2003 Female Vocalist of the Year, she says, "I'm just glad to be able to get off the porch, much less to be running with the big dogs."
Want to hear the classic hits of Big Country? Many of the biggest stars and legends -- the late Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, The Judds, Willie and Dolly among them -- are on Country Moods & Memories, a new four-CD box set exclusively from Reader's Digest. To order, call toll free 1-888-RDMUSIC (1-888-736-8742) or visit our secure website at www.rdmusic.com. $59.96, plus shipping and taxes.
Advertisement 
