| BEFORE SOME WERE FAMOUS | |
| Roy Acuff | Semi-pro baseball player |
| Bill Anderson | Disc Jockey |
| Clint Black | Iron worker - Bait cutter & guide on fishing boat |
| Suzy Bogguss | Sold vacuum cleaners |
| Chad Brock | Wrestler |
| Garth Brooks | Ditch digger - Bouncer - Bootseller |
| Mary Chapin Carpenter | Admin assistant |
| Billy Ray Cyrus | Car salesman |
| Joe Diffie | Tanker driver - Foundry worker |
| Donna Fargo | Teacher |
| Don Gibson | Textile worker |
| Eric Heatherly | House painter - Landscaper |
| Naomi Judd | Nurse - Secretary - Advertising model |
| Sammy Kershaw | Welder - Carpenter - Disc Jockey |
| Heather & Jennifer Kinley | Worked at McDonalds |
| Danni Leigh | Bungee Jump Instructor - Waitress - Animal caretaker |
| Kathy Mattea | Waitress - Demo singer - Tour guide at CM Hall of Fame |
| Martina McBride | Sold T-shirts at Garth Brooks concerts - Demo singer |
| Ken Mellons | Shoe salesman |
| Craig Morgan | Army paratrooper |
| Charley Pride | Cottonpicker - Baseball player - Zinc smelter |
| Willie Nelson | Sold bibles and encyclopaedias - Disc Jockey |
| Doug Stone | Diesel mechanic - Plumber - Carpenter |
| Mel Tillis | Railroad fireman - Delivery truck driver - Baker in USAF |
| Don Williams | Furniture salesman - Bill collector - Oilfield worker |
| RELATIVELY SPEAKING | |
| Buddy Alan | Son of Buck Owens & Bonnie Owens |
| Lynn Anderson | Daughter of Liz Anderson |
| Matraca Berg | Step daughter of Dave Kirby - Wife of Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band |
| Clint Black | Husband of Lisa Hartman Black |
| Debbie Boone | Daughter of Pat Boone - Granddaughter of Red Foley |
| Garth Brooks | Stepbrother of Betsy, Husband of Trisha Yearwood |
| Carlene Carter | Daughter of Carl Smith & June Carter - Step Daughter of Johnny Cash - Ex wife of Nick Lowe |
| Deana Carter | Daughter of Fred Carter Jnr |
| Maybelle Carter | Mother of June Carter Cash, Helen Carter & Anita Carter |
| Johnny Cash | Father of Rosanne Cash, Cindy Cash & John Carter Cash |
| Rosanne Cash | Wife of John Leventhal (Producer) - Ex wife of Rodney Crowell |
| Jessi Colter | Wife of Waylon Jennings - ex wife of Duane Eddy |
| Rodney Crowell | Husband of Claudia Church - ex husband of Rosanne Cash - Cousin of Larry Willoughby |
| Linda Davis | Wife of Scott Lang |
| Johnny Duncan | Cousin of Dan Seals |
| Holly Dunn | Sister of Chris Waters (singer/writer) |
| Red Foley | Father-in-law of Pat Boone - Grandfather of Debby Boone - Uncle of J P Pennington (Exile) |
| Crystal Gayle | Sister of Loretta Lynn, Jay Webb and Peggy Sue |
| Bobbie Gentry | Ex wife of Jim Stafford |
| Vince Gill | Husband of Amy Grant - Ex husband of Janis (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) |
| Vern Gosdin | Brother of Rex Gosdin |
| Adie Grey | Cousin of Tobias Brothers - Grand daughter of Bill Lave (Film composer) |
| Merle Haggard | Father of Marty Haggard & Noel Haggard |
| Emmylou Harris | Ex wife of Brian Ahern (producer) & Paul Kennerley (songwriter) |
| Jan Howard | Ex wife of Harlan Howard |
| Tommy Jennings | Brother of Waylon Jennings |
| Sammy Kershaw | Third cousin of Doug Kershaw |
| Johnny Lee | Ex husband of Charlene Tilton (actress) |
| Regina Leigh (Regina Regina) | Husband of Tony Kay (Brooks & Dunn Band) |
| Jerry Lee Lewis | Cousin of Mickey Gilley - Brother of Linda Gail Lewis |
| Patty Loveless | Distant cousin of Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, Jay Webb & Peggy Sue |
| Lyle Lovett | Ex husband of Julia Roberts |
| Loretta Lynn | Mother of The Lynns - Sister of Crystal Gayle, Jay Webb & Peggy Sue |
| Shelby Lynne | Sister of Allison Moorer |
| Reba McEntire | Sister to Pake McEntire and Susie Luchsinger |
| Natalie Maines (Dixie Chicks) | Daughter of Lloyd Maines |
| Barbara Mandrell | Sister to Louise & Irlene Mandrell |
| Dean Miller | Son of Roger Miller |
| John Michael Montgomery |
Brother of Eddie Montgomery (Montgomery Gentry) |
| Allison Moorer | Sister of Shelby Lynne - Wife of Steve Earle |
| Lorrie Morgan | Daughter of George Morgan - Wife of Sammy Kershaw |
| Willie Nelson | Ex husband of Shirley Collie |
| Dolly Parton | Sister of Stella Parton - Ex sister-in-law of Paul Overstreet |
| Brian Prout (Diamond Rio) | Husband of Stephanie Bentley Former husband of Nancy Given (Wild Rose) |
| Marty Robbins | Father of Ronny Robbins |
| Earl Scruggs | Father of Randy, Gary and Steve Scruggs |
| Brady Seals | Nephew of Troy Seals - Cousin of Dan Seals & Jim Seals |
| Jeannie Seely | Ex wife of Hank Cochran |
| Jim Stafford | Ex husband of Bobbie Gentry |
| Keith Stegall | Third Cousin of Johnny Horton |
| Ray Stevens | Father of Susie Ragsdale |
| Chip Taylor | Brother of actor Jon Voight |
| Pam Tillis | Daughter of Mel Tillis |
| Merle Travis | Father of Tom Bresh |
| Ernest Tubb | Father of Justin Tubb |
| Tanya Tucker | Sister of LaCosta |
| Doc Watson | Father of Merle Watson |
| Kitty Wells | Wife of Johnny Wright - Mother of Bobby & Ruby Wright |
| Shelly West | Daughter of Dottie West - Sister-in-law of David Frizzell |
| Buck White | Father of Sharon Skaggs, Cheryl White, Rosie White |
| Kelly Willis | Wife of Bruce Robison - Sister in Law to Charlie Robison |
| Lee Ann Womack | Ex wife of Jason Sellers |
| Wynonna | Daughter of Naomi Judd - Sister of Ashley Judd |
| NAME ORIGINS | |
| BR5-49 | Fictional phone number used by Junior Samples on Hee Haw |
| Jessi Colter | Her great great uncle Jesse Colter |
| Diamond Rio | Mis-spelling of a US truck Manufacturer 'Diamond Reo' |
| Lacy J Dalton | ''Lacy' - a friend : 'J' - Jill (her own name) : 'Dalton' - her singing teacher Karen Dalton |
| Dixie Chicks | Title of an album by 'Little Feat' |
| Evangeline | Name of a long lost lover in a Longfellow poem |
| Emerson Drive | Name of road where thye used to live - Emerson Trail |
| Freddie Fender | 'Fender' amplifiers |
| Crystal Gayle | 'Krystal' Hamburgers (Gayle is her own Christian name) |
| Hot Rize | A secret ingredient of 'Martha White's Self Raising Flour' |
| Gary Le Vox | A joke from "Le Vox" from "the voice" Real name is Vernon |
| Little Texas | Community in Williamson County, Tennessee |
| Marshall Tucker Band | Marshall Tucker was the owner of the band's rehearsal hall |
| Oak Ridge Boys | The place of Oak Ridge in Tennessee |
| Johnny Paycheck | Name of a prize fighter 'John Austin Paycheck' |
| Perfect Stranger | A 1985 hit by Southern Pacific |
| Pin Monkey | After a "Simpsons" episode |
| Pure Prairie League | A women's temperance union in an Erroll Flynn film |
| Bobbie Gentry | Film called 'Ruby Gentry' |
| Sawyer Brown | Street name in Nashville |
| SHeDAISY | American Indian word for 'my sister' |
| Statler Bros | Brand of tissues called 'Statler' |
| Sweethearts of the Rodeo | An album by the Byrds |
| Conway Twitty | Places named 'Conway' in Arkansas and 'Twitty' in Texas |
| Kitty Wells | A folk song 'Sweet Kitty Wells' |
| Wynonna | Place 'Wynonna' in Oklahoma |
| FIRSTS/RECORDS | |
| Roy Acuff | first living member inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame |
| Roy Acuff | first performer to sing on stage of new Opry in Opryland |
| Clint Black | Artist in any music genre to have 5 No 1's from a debut album |
| Garth Brooks | Artist in any music to sell more than 1 million albums in the first week of release |
| Rosanne Cash | Female Country Artist to have 4 No 1's from an album |
| Dixie Chicks | Country group to debut ay No 1 (The Fly) on Soundscan Album Charts |
| Red Foley | Country performer to have own national radio programme (1939) |
| George Hamilton IV | Country artist to perform in Russia |
| Jack Ingram | smashed the Guinness World Record with 215 interviews in 24 hours which is the most consecutive radio interviews in a 24 hour period |
| Reba McEntire | Female Country performer to have 5 multi-platinum albums |
| Barbara Mandrell | Artist to sign a recording contract live on television |
| Barbara Mandrell | the first woman to be inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame at the International Steel Guitar Convention in St Louis (2009) |
| Patsy Montana | Female Country performer to sell 1 million (I Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart) |
| LeAnn Rimes | Country performer to win the 'Newcomer Award' at the Grammies |
| George Strait | Album to enter Billboard's Country Charts at No 1 |
| Taylor Swift | claiming the Billboard record for the longest charting album of this century with her self titled debut album "Taylor Swift" |
| Taylor Swift | the first solo female act in a decade and the youngest artist ever to be named CMA Entertainer of the Year |
| Taylor Swift | the first solo female artist to have 5 Top Ten Singles in the charts from a debut album |
| Ernest Tubb | Country artist to play at Carnegie Hall |
| Shania Twain | Female to have consecutive albums sell over 10 million copies |
| Carrie Underwood | debut album "Some Hearts" certified 7 Platinum making her best selling solo female country debut in history |
| Carrie Underwood | her No 1 hit "Before He Cheats" became the first Country song to receive certification for 2 Platinum digital single |
| Kitty Wells | Female to have a No1 on Billboard's Country Charts |
| Slim Whitman | Country artist to perform at London Palladium |
| Don Williams | Country artist to receive a Platinum album for UK sales |
| Tammy Wynette | Female Country performer to earn a Platinum album |
| STREETS AHEAD | |
| Bill Anderson | Bill Anderson Boulevard in Commerce, Georgia |
| Bobby Bare | Bobby Bare Boulevard in Ironton, Ohio |
| Bellamy Bros | Bellamy Bros Boulevard in Darby, Florida |
| Owen Bradley | Owen Bradley Square in Nashville, Tennessee |
| Garth Brooks | Garth Brooks Boulevard in Yukon, Oklahoma |
| Terri Clark | A park named after her in Medicine, Alberta |
| Billy Crash Craddock | Billy Crash Craddock Bridge in Greensboro |
| Billy Ray Cyrus | Billy Ray Cyrus Boulevard in Kentucky |
| Emilio | A hospital wing named after him at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio |
| Donna Fargo | The state of North Carolina dedicated 6 miles of road as "Donna Fargo Highway" |
| Crystal Gayle | Crystal Gayle Highway in Paintsville, Kentucky |
| Merle Haggard | A section of road in California renamed "Merle Haggard Drive" |
| Faith Hill | Faith Hill Street in Jackson, Mississippi |
| George Jones | George Jones Place in Beaumont, Texas |
| Elvis Presley | Elvis Presley Avenue in Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Curly Putnam | part of highway 65 in Alabama is named "Curly Putnam Jnr Highway" |
| Ralph Stanley | Ralph Stanley Highway (Route 652) in south-west Virginia |
| Marty Stuart | Marty Stuart Drive in - Philadelphia, Mississippi |
| Travis Tritt | Travis Tritt Highway (part of Highway 92) in Georgia |
| Shania Twain | Shania Twain Way in Timmins, Ontario |
| Doc & Chickie Williams | A section on Interstate 70 in West Virginia is named "Doc & Chickie Williams Highway" |
| Jett Williams | Jett Williams Drive in Macon County, Tennessee |
| Sheb Wooley | Sheb Wooley Avenue in Eric, Oklahoma |
| Darryl Worley | Darryl Worley Way in Savannah, Tennessee |
| Chely Wright | Chely Wright Way in Wellsville, Kansas |
| Trisha Yearwood | Trisha Yearwood Parkway (Highway 83-N) in Monticello, Georgia |
| STAGE, SCREEN, TV, RADIO | |
| Trace Adkins | stars in the film "An American Carol" |
| Bobby Bare | stars in the film "Distant Trumpet" |
| Johnny Cash | stars in the film "Five Minutes To Live" - "The nightrider" |
| Elizabeth Cook | plays the role of Joni Twitty, one of Conway's daughters in musical production of "Conway Twitty The Man The Music The Legend The Musical" |
| Billy Ray Cyrus | stars in a Christmas film "Christmas In Canaan" |
| Katrina Elam | stars in a film called "A Pure Country Gift" |
| Faith Hill | stars in the Film "Stepford Wives" |
| Toby Keith | stars in the films "Broken Bridges" - "Provinces Of Night" |
| Toby Keith | stars in the film "Beer For My Horses" |
| Tim McGraw | stars in the film "Flicka" |
| Tim McGraw | stars in the film "Blind Side" with Sandra Bullock |
| Tim McGraw | stars in the film "Get Low" |
| Reba McEntire | stars in the film "Tremors" |
| Lorrie Morgan, Joe Nichols | appear in Broadway musical stage version of "Pure Country" |
| Willie Nelson | plays Uncle Jesse in "Dukes Of Hazzard" |
| Willie Nelson | stars in the film "Electric Horseman" |
| LeAnn Rimes | stars in the film "Coyote Ugly" |
| LeAnn Rimes | stars in the film "Norah Roberts Northern Lights" |
| Billy Jo Shaver | stars in the film "The Wendell Baker Story" |
| Taylor Swift | appeared on the US TV Show "CSI" as a teenager Haley Jones who's parents run a seedy Las Vegas hotel |
| Lee Ann Womack - Tracy Byrd | acting debut in the film "No More Things" |
| ADS/PROMOTION | |
| Trace Adkins | voice overs for Kentucky Fried Chicken |
| Trace Adkins | endorsement deal with BC Headache Powder |
| Jason Aldean | promotes Wrangler Jeans in the USA |
| Kenny Chesney | appears in a Corona advertisement for beer in the USA |
| Donna Fargo | her song "The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA" used for a commercial for Nike which features the US Women's Olympic Softball Team |
| Faith Hill | voiced a radio Public Service announcement to discourage drink driving |
| Toby Keith | hIs song "I Am A Working Man" has been featured in a TV campaign for Ford Motors |
| Miranda Lambert | appears in a US TV commercial for "Cotton Inc" |
| Martina McBride | appears in adverts for Sunny Delight Beverages in the USA |
| Dolly Parton | has appeared in advertisements for the state of Tennessee |
| Kellie Pickler | appeared in series of adverts for 'Sexy Hair' products in the USA |
| Carrie Underwood | endorsed Vitamin Water Energy Drink and featured in commercials for the product in the USA |
| PRODUCTS | |
| Kenny Chesney | a casual clothing line for both men and women called "Blue Chair Bay" |
| Terri Clark | Fender Musical Instruments have a Terri Clark Signature Acoustic Guitar featuring a traditional design with her initials inlaid in abalone and pearl on the headstock |
| Crystal Gayle | has a boutique called "Crystals" |
| Alan Jackson | Crackerbarrel Old Country Store stock "Alan Jackson Collection"created in conjunction with the singer and includes menswear, ladieswear and collectibles |
| George Jones | has a Southern Style restaurant in Enterprise, Alabama called "Possum Hoiller" |
| Toby Keith | clothing line called "T K Steelman" |
| Toby Keith | has a chain of restaurants called "I Love This Bar And Grill" |
| Miranda Lambert | own range of jewellery, which she designs and handcrafted herself |
| Reba McEntire | has her own range of clothing called "Reba" |
| Martina McBride | Blackbird Vineyards Napa Valley teamed up with Martina McBride to launch the 2006 Martina McBride Signature Series Napa Valley Proprietary Red Wine |
| Tim McGraw | has a fragrance called "Southern Blend" under his franchise with Coty Beauty anda fragrance for men "McGraw By Tim McGraw" |
| Tim McGraw | Wal-Mart stores in the US stock a flavour of 'chips' called "Tim McGraw's Spicy Jalapeno Fritos" |
| Eddie Montgomery | opened his own restaurant, called Eddie's Steakhouse, in Harrodsburg |
| Dolly Parton, Amy Grant, Minnie Pearl, Pam Tillis | All have roses named after them |
| Taylor Swift | has a line of sun dresses at Wal-Mart |
| Taylor Swift | created a line of greeting cards, gift packaging, stationery and other related items with the American company American Greetings |
| Taylor Swift | has a retail line of toys including role play toys, fashion dolls, craft and activity sets |
| Taylor Swift | has an endorsement deal with Gillette Venus Embrace Razor |
| Shania Twain | has her own perfume |
| Hank Williams Jnr | has a family barbecue sauce named after him |
| MISCELLANEOUS | |
| Brooks & Dunn | their first novel called "The Adventures of Slim and Dusty" |
| Sara Evans | Is an ambassador for the National Eating Disorder Association |
| Tracy Lawrence | Honorary Citizen of San Antonio, Texas |
| Tim McGraw | written children's book "My Little Girl" |
| Tift Merritt | won the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest 2000 |
| Willie Nelson | bought the church in his home town of Abbott Texas |
| Willie Nelson | wrote his first fictional work with novelist Mike Blakley, called "A Tale Out Of Luck" |
| Dolly Parton | written a children's book "I Am A Rainbow" |
| Danielle Peck | "Danielle Peck Day" in the town of Zanesville, Ohio |
| Eve Selis | "Eve Selis Day" in San Diego, California |
| Taylor Swift | received the key to the city of Evansville, Indiana, the city's council president also declared April 23rd "Taylor Swift Day" |
| Lee Ann Womack | was "Miss Nashville" in 1988 |
| Trisha Yearwood | written 2 books "Georgia Cooking In An Oklahoma Kitchen" and "Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood" |
| COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAMERS | |
| 1961 - Jimmie Rodgers - Fred Rose - Hank Williams | |
| 1962 - Roy Acuff | |
| 1964 - Tex Ritter | |
| 1965 - Ernest Tubb | |
| 1966 - Eddy Arnold - James R Denny - George D Hay - Uncle Dave Macon | |
| 1967 - Red Foley - J L Frank - Jim Reeves - Stephen H Sholes | |
| 1968 - Bob Wills | |
| 1969 - Gene Autry | |
| 1970 - Bill Monroe - Original Carter Family | |
| 1971 - Arthur Edward Satherley | |
| 1972 - Jimmie H Davis | |
| 1973 - Chet Atkins - Patsy Cline | |
| 1974 - Owen Bradley - Frank 'Pee Wee' King | |
| 1975 - Minnie Pearl | |
| 1976 - Kitty Wells - Paul Cohen | |
| 1977 - Merle Travis | |
| 1978 - Grandpa Jones | |
| 1979 - Hank Snow | |
| 1980 - Connie B Gay - Original Sons Of The Pioneers - Johnny Cash | |
| 1981 - Vernon Dalhart - Grant Turner | |
| 1982 - Lefty Frizzell - Marty Robbins - Roy Horton | |
| 1983 - Little Jimmy Dickens | |
| 1984 - Ralph S Peer - Floyd Tillman | |
| 1985 - Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs | |
| 1986 - Wesley H Rose - Whitey Ford | |
| 1987 - Rod Brasfield | |
| 1988 - Roy Rogers - Loretta Lynn | |
| 1989 - Cliffie Stone - Hank Thompson - Jack Stapp | |
| 1990 - Tennessee Ernie Ford | |
| 1991 - Felice & Boudleaux Bryant | |
| 1992 - George Jones - Frances William Preston | |
| 1993 - Willie Nelson | |
| 1994 - Merle Haggard | |
| 1995 - Jo Walker-Meador - Roger Miller | |
| 1996 - Patsy Montana - Buck Owens - Ray Price | |
| 1997 - Harlan Howard - Brenda Lee - Cindy Walker | |
| 1998 - George Morgan - Elvis Presley - E W 'Bud' Wendell - Tammy Wynette | |
| 1999 - Johnny Bond - Dolly Parton - Conway Twitty | |
| 2000 - Charley Pride - Faron Young | |
| 2001 - Bill Anderson, Delmore Brothers, Everly Brothers, Don Gibson, Homer & Jethro, Waylon Jennings, Jordanaires, Don Law, Louvin Brothers, Ken Nelson, Sam Phillips, Webb Pierce | |
| 2002 - Bill Carlisle - Porter Wagoner | |
| 2003 - Carl Smith - Floyd Cramer | |
| 2004 - Jim Foglesong - Kris Kristofferson | |
| 2005 - Alabama - Deford Bailey | |
| 2006 - Harold Bradley - Sonny James - George Strait | |
| 2007 - Mel Tillis - Vince Gill - Ralph Emery | |
| 2008 - Ernest 'Pop' Stoneman - Statler Bros - Emmylou Harris - Tom T Hall | |
| 2009 - Charlie McCoy - Barbara Mandrell - Roy Clark | |
