Greatest country singer of all time? This is how they rank according to data

Who is the greatest country singer of all time?

Is it Garth, Hank, Dolly, Reba or George Strait? Is it someone else?

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Well, any conversation about the greatest of all time will be limited to opinions – for the most part – but the website Stacker.com recently tried to make the call using data.

The website used weekly performance numbers from Billboard’s Hot Country Songs and Top Country Albums in an equation to create their best-ever rankings. It’s an interesting list, and you can see the whole piece here. Below is a breakdown of the top 20 country singers of all time according to this list. Check out the list and find out if your favorite singer made it to the list:

20. Ronnie Milsap

• Milsap made it into the top 10 thanks in part to 40 No. 1 hits and eight gold albums.

19. Kenny Chesney

• Stacker mentions his gold-certified “Me and You” from 1996 and his double-platinum-certified “Everywhere We Go” from 1999.

18. Dolly Parton

• The site lists Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” which took the number one spot on CMT’s 100 Greatest Love Songs of Country Music and won several Grammys for her ranking here. I think Dolly is higher on most people’s list.

17. Loretta Lynn

• Lynn has a long list of accolades and perhaps the longest biography on the list. Among the accolades Stacker listed were becoming the first woman to win the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year, her Grammy for lifetime achievement and the fact that she released 50 albums.

16. George Jones

• The site noted the numerous Grammys and awards Jones has received for his placement on the list.

15. Kenny Rogers

• Among Rogers’ accolades that factored into the rankings, according to Stacker, was his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

14. Johnny Cash

• Stacker called Cash “one of the highest-selling artists of all time” and justified his ranking with numerous awards.

13. Hank Williams Jr.

• The website mentions that Williams Jr. began singing at the Grand Ole Opry at the age of 11 and is still successful.

12. Buck Owens

• The site noted Owens’ popularity in the 1960s and his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in his biography.

11. Waylon Jennings

• Stacker mentioned Waylon’s Grammys in his ranking bio.

10. Tim McGraw

• McGraw’s chart hits and Grammys were mentioned in his biography when explaining the ranking.

Check out Stacker’s complete top 50 rankings here.

9. Alan Jackson

• Among the accolades mentioned in Jackson’s profile was his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017.

8. Garth Brooks

• To explain this placement, Brooks’ biography lists a whopping 18 Billboard hits that topped the charts.

7. Reba McEntire

• McEntrie’s career highlights include seven gold and five platinum albums.

6. Charley Pride

• According to Stacker, Pride recorded a whopping 52 top 10 country hits.

5. Conway Twitty

• According to Stacker, Twitty had 55 chart-topping singles and sold more than 50 million records.

4. Alabama

• According to Stacker, the band had 21 chart-topping singles and sold over 73 million albums.

3. Willie Nelson

• The 91-year-old is still touring and helped him reach this top spot on the charts with his album “Red-Headed Stranger,” which landed at number one.

2. Merle Haggard

• Haggard has had 40 top country hits and is in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

1. George Strait

• The Country Music Hall of Fame member made it into this category primarily because he holds the record for most chart-topping singles.

BIG NAMES OUTSIDE THE TOP 20

Among the top names outside the top 20 was Toby Keith, who tragically passed away earlier this year, who came in at number 21. Elvis Presley was at number 34, Taylor Swift at number 37, Shania Twain at number 44 and The Judds at number 45.

Check out Stacker’s complete top 50 rankings here.