This book highlights 50 of the most important entertainers in contemporary country music, providing a brief biography of each artist with special emphasis on experiences that influenced their musical careers. The artists are divided into five categories: "The New Traditionalists" (artists such as George Strait, Reba McEntire, and Clint Black who established the mainstream country sound in the 1980s)

"Alternative Country" (artists such as Steve Earle and Bela Fleck who made country music on their own terms)

"Groups" (ensemble acts such as Alabama, the Dixie Chicks, and Rascal Flatts that have carried on the traditions of the Carter Family and other prominent groups of the 1920s and 1930s)

"Country-Pop" (artists such as Garth Brooks and Shania Twain who firmly established the "countrypolitan" sound as the cash cow of Nashville)

and "New Country" (the next generation of country-pop artists, with particular attention paid to international megastars such as Keith Urban, and teen sensations, including LeAnn Rimes and Taylor Swift).