In any genre of music, but especially country music, bands create a unique sound. For generations, country bands have released some of the best music, with multiple hits and successful tours. With that in mind, we found three of the best country bands of all time.

The Oak Ridge Boys

There isn’t a band with more history than The Oak Ridge Boys. Beginning as a gospel group called The Oak Ridge Quartet in the 1940s, the band became The Oak Ridge Boys in 1961. 64 years later, The Oak Ridge Boys are still making music and still touring.

In 1977, The Oak Ridge Boys switched from gospel to country music with their Y’all Come Back Saloon album. With the exception of a few years when William Golden exited the band in the late 80s and early 90s, their historic 50-year lineup of Golden, Richard Sterban, Duane Allen, and Joe Bonsall remained until the end of 2023, when Bonsall retired due to his health. He was replaced by Ben James, who continues to tour with The Oak Ridge Boys. Bonsall sadly passed away in 2024 from ALS.

Since Y’all Come Back Saloon, The Oak Ridge Boys have released more than 30 studio albums. The Oak Ridge Boys are responsible for some of the biggest hits in country music, including “Elvira”, “Bobbie Sue”, “American Made”, and more. Their last, Mama’s Boys, came out in 2024. They are also still active on the road and have no plans to retire.

Alabama

It’s hard to top family harmonies, which is likely what Alabama can attribute to their decades of success. Begun in Fort Payne by Randy Owen and his cousin, Teddy Gentry, the two were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook.

Together, the three were already having success performing long before they signed a record deal, releasing three albums on their own. In 1980, Alabama released My Home’s In Alabama, their first project on a major label. 45 years later, Alabama is still making music, sadly without Jeff Cook, who passed away in 2022 from Parkinson’s disease.

Among Alabama’s many, many hits are “Love In The First Degree”, “Dixieland Delight”, “Down Home”, and more. Alabama is (fortunately) still performing today.

Lady A

Lady A began in 2008 with their self-titled debut album. The trio, made up of Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood, began making music together on their own, ultimately getting signed to Capitol Records, which is still their label home, 17 years later.

Lady A (formerly Lady Antebellum) began having success from the start, thanks to their tight three-part harmonies. Their third single, “Run To You”, became their first No. 1 hit. One year later, Lady A made history with “Need You Now“. The song became a Diamond-certified, chart-topping single for Lady A. It also earned them four Grammy Awards and became their first No. 1 hit on the pop charts.

The success of “Need You Now” might not have been a surprise to country music fans, but it was to Lady A, who didn’t even plan on releasing it as a single.

“I remember when we went in the studio, one of the songs that ended up being another single of ours, ‘Our Kind of Love’, I mean, we were juiced about this song,” Kelley recalls on SiriusXM’s The Highway. “We were like, ‘This is the song off the record.’ And we played the record for the label, and literally every one of them was just like, ‘That’s the one. That’s the one. ‘Need You Now’. And I was like, ‘Really? Let’s do it. You never know.’