female country singers are an important part of any musical education. From Dolly Parton to Faith Hill, this gallery covers popular contemporary names as well as the original country queens.

This cover image released by Parkwood/Columbia/Sony shows Act ll: Cowboy Carter by Beyonce. The album prompted her to snag top female country artist at the Billboard Music Awards this year.

The result was Reba’s 1984 release My Kind of Country, featuring old country covers ... music back to its roots. The album went gold, as did her follow-up, and McEntire earned a second CMA ...