Miranda Lambert Reveals the Four Artists on Her Country Music Mount Rushmore

Miranda Lambert | Big Loud

Nearly every country music fan has a “Mount Rushmore” of artists who they believe epitomize the genre. For some, the names on that four-person list are legacy artists who helped shape the genre. Others may pick from modern artists who they believe are taking the music to the next level. However, building these lists of icons isn’t limited to fans. Many artists have their own “Mount Rushmore” lists as well. Miranda Lambert recently revealed hers.

Lambert has been making killer country music for more than two decades. Earlier this month, she released Postcards from Texas which sees her slipping comfortably into a more traditional country sound than ever before. Recently, she appeared on Taste of Country Nights to talk about her career and the new album. During the interview, she shared her “Mount Rushmore.”

Miranda Lambert Shares Her Country Music Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore National Memorial | National Park Foundation

“Oh God! That’s too hard,” Miranda Lambert said when asked about her four favorite artists. “It really is too hard,” she added. It’s not an easy feat. After all, country music history goes back nearly 100 years and encompasses thousands of artists. So, Lambert had to think on it for a moment.

“I mean, I’ll rattle some off,” Lambert said after thinking about it. “Emmylou [Harris], George Strait, Merle Haggard, and Willie [Nelson].”

That’s a solid list of trailblazing artists. Harris has been a trendsetter for more than fifty years. In the ‘70s, she helped to popularize the style of country-rock that dominated the decade. It included bands like Little Feat, Pure Prairie League, the Eagles, Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, and many others. Strait helped to swing the pendulum of country music back toward traditional Western sounds in the late ’80s and early ‘90s. Haggard helped to popularize the Bakersfield Sound led by West Coast artists like Buck Owens. Nelson was a forerunner of the Outlaw Country movement and continues to serve as an inspiration for artists at the ripe old age of 91.

Listening to her latest album on which she had full creative control, the influences of her Mount Rushmore artists stand out.