Country music may have existed before 1925-in barn dances, roadside taverns, tent shows, minstrel shows, and vaudeville-but it didn't become Country Music until the advent of radio and new stars were born. In Classic Country Singers, author Douglas B. Green (a.k.a. Ranger Doug from the Grammy-winning western group Riders in the Sky) celebrates the men and women who built the industry that gave us "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Blue Yodel," "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," and the Grand Ole Opry. From the beginnings of bluegrass to honky-tonk to western swing and more, Classic Country Stars offers intimate biographies and cherished photos covering the careers of nearly fifty major stars from country music's first half-century, including beloved musicians such as Uncle Dave Macon, the Carter Family, and Jimmie Rodgers up to the pop-country hit makers of the 1950s like Eddy Arnold and Marty Robbins. Through war, depression, and the advent of rock and roll, these men and women pioneered a sound that moved from regional barn dances and radio stations to an international audience. Includes profiles on: Hank Williams Gene Autry Hank Snow Kitty Wells Ray Price Minnie Pearl Ernest Tubb Douglas B. Green is the author of three previous works on American music: Country Roots, Singing In The Saddle, and Singing Cowboys. He is considered one of the leading experts on American roots music, especially western. His full-time job for thirty years has been as lead vocalist of Riders in the Sky, the two-time Grammy-award-winning western quartet and member of the Western Music Hall of Fame. For more information on the group, including their tour schedule, please visit www.ridersinthesky.com.