The Country Music Hall of Fame has for decades honored some of country music’s biggest legends. With Kenny Chesney, June Carter Cash and Tony Brown going into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2025, there are several more artists who are more than worthy of being inducted. We picked ten of the most noteworthy artists who are deserving of the country music’s highest honor.

1. Trisha Yearwood

Trisha Yearwood‘s own husband, Garth Brooks, has said she belongs in the Country Music Hall of Fame — and he isn’t wrong.

“Not biased or anything, but the greatest female vocalist this town has seen is Trisha Yearwood,” Brooks said after he and Yearwood read off the inductees for the Class of 2018. “I said, ‘You’ll be in here one day.’ And she goes, ‘I just hope, if it happens, that we’re alive.’ I said, ‘Well, I hope you are, because it’ll be the greatest day of your career.’”

Yearwood’s eponymous debut album came out in 1991. In the 34 years since then, few artists have been as vocal or as much of a champion of country music as Yearwood. The Georgia native, who was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1999, is still performing and making music, with another new album slated to be released later this year.

Brooks was inducted in 2012. It’s time his wife joins him in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

2. Jeannie Seely

It’s hard to think of an artist more deserving than Jeannie Seely. A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1967, Seely, was a mainstay on radio in the ’60s and ’70s, without bending to traditions or gender stereotypes. The first woman to both wear a miniskirt and emcee a show on the Grand Ole Opry stage, Seely blazed a trail for other female artists, and really, really wants to be inducted while she is alive to enjoy it. Seely also set a new Opry record, by performing on the stage over 5000 times, more than any other artist in the history of the Grand Ole Opry.

“I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I’d love to join all of my peers and friends at the Hall of Fame,” Seely previously told Everything Nash. “I think some people maybe look at it as an ego trip, but I don’t look at it that way. I think that’s just a validation of your life’s work. I look in there and see all of my friends and fellow Opry members, my peers in this business, and the other writers that I’ve been associated with and was fortunate enough to spend my life with. It would be nice to know that I could join them, and that hallowed ground there.”

3. Clay Walker

Clay Walker has been part of country music for more than 30 years. The Texan’s self-titled debut album was released in 1993, a record that included the No. 1 hits, “What’s It To You,” “Live Until I Die,” “Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open” and more. Walker reigned at the top of the charts throughout the ’90s, with hits like “If I Could Make A Living,” “Rumor Has It” and more.

Walker still tours, still makes albums, and still stretches himself creatively. He is producing and starring in the upcoming Randy Travis biopic, Forever and Ever, Amen. More importantly, the 55-year-old helped define an entire decade of music, and still outworks most artists half his age. It seems almost inevitable that he will one day be part of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

4. Crystal Gayle

Crystal Gayle has had an impressive career, and is still performing. Her accomplishments might have been overshadowed by those of her big sister, 1988 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Loretta Lynn, but Gayle’s achievements are still impressive. Gayle’s eponymous debut album was released in 1975, one of 25 studio albums she has released throughout her career, including her 2019 You Don’t Know Me: Classic Country. Gayle also released more than 60 singles, including major hits like “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” “I’ll Get Over You,” “It’s Like We Never Said Goodbye,” “Too Many Lovers” and more.

Even better, Gayle is still touring more than many of her peers. It’s time she is rewarded for her hard work.

5. Shania Twain

There likely isn’t an artist who transformed an entire genre of music as much as Shania Twain did. Her sophomore The Woman in Me album, which kicked off with the feisty “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?” and had songs like “Any Man of Mine” and “You’re Still the One,” not only brought an entirely new sound to country music, but she also proved that leopard print and midriffs had its place in the genre.

Although considered daring at the start, Twain became one of the best-selling artists of all time. And she isn’t done yet. In 2023, Twain released her latest album, Queen of Me.

6. Rosanne Cash

Rosanne Cash is an incredibly talented singer and songwriter — and part of country music royalty. The daughter of Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian, Rosanne successfully blurred and blended genre lines for decades, with crossover hits like “Seven Year Ache,” “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me,” “Hold On” and more, helping seal her fate as a global star.

But it’s her country meets Americana meets blues meets rock songs like “Blue Moon With Heartache,” “Never Be You,” “Tennessee Flat Top Box” and “Runaway Train,” among many others, which make her worthy. Rosanne has also released numerous critically-acclaimed albums, such as Seven Year Ache, Rhythm & Romance and The River & the Thread.

Rosanne’s been a steady, albeit sometimes subtle, influence on country music since the late ’70s, which makes her mark on country music indelible, and worthy of being honored.

7. Dwight Yoakam

Dwight Yoakam is from Kentucky, but he’s made his mark on California country music. From his debut Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. album, released in 1984, Yoakam has created a successful 40-plus year career of making his music, his way, on his terms. He’s also had plenty of hits along the way, including “Guitars, Cadillacs,” “I Sang Dixie,” “Ain’t That Lonely Yet,” “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere,” and many, many more.

Now 68 years old, Yoakam’s tour schedule rivals artists a generation younger than him.

8. Lynn Anderson

It’s truly shocking that Lynn Anderson isn’t in the Country Music Hall of Fame already, because she seemed like an obvious choice. With an impressive list of albums and singles, and a career that spanned 50 years, until her death in 2015, the success of “Rose Garden” alone was enough to cement her place in country music history. But with well over 40 hit singles, the pioneer for women in country music is long overdue for her own Hall of Fame induction.

Anderson has released more than 30 albums, with over 70 singles. In addition to “Rose Garden,” Anderson’s numerous hits include “Promises, Promises,” “That’s a No,” “Keep Me in Mind,” “What a Man My Man Is,” “Isn’t It Always Love,” and many, many more.

9. Brad Paisley

No one loves country music as much as Brad Paisley. Since his debut Who Needs Pictures record, released in 1999, Paisley has steadfastly honored the tradition of country music, without criticizing those who blurred the genre lines. Paisley has released 12 studio albums, with dozens of hit singles, including No. 1 hits like “Mud on the Tires,” “He Didn’t Have to Be,” “Waitin’ On a Woman,” his “Remind Me” duet with Carrie Underwood, and so many more.

Paisley is also welcoming of other artists into country music, including inviting Post Malone to make his Grand Ole Opry debut. His Truck Still Works Tour kicks off in May, and his 13th studio album is expected to be released later this year.

10.  Alison Krauss

Talk about a double, or triple threat. Alison Krauss has made her mark all over country music, including as a singer, fiddle player and mandolin player, performing on some of the biggest stages in the world. Blending country, bluegrass and her stunning vocals, her music has also been heard on both the O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Cold Mountain soundtracks.

A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1993, Krauss has an astonishing 27 Grammy Awards, making her more than deserving of a place in the Hall of Fame.