Country music is in a great place right now… but there are still a number of artists that deserve more credit than they get.

You probably have a couple of “under the radar” artists that you’ve shared with your friends, eh? There’s nothing better than turning one of your friends onto a new artist or band just before they hit it big. That’s actually one of the best parts of being a music fan in general.

But sometimes, you tell a friend about a new artist you are digging and they inexplicably don’t ever take off. They pass the sound and eye test, yet they don’t connect with the masses for whatever reason. In other words, some artists deserve way more credit than they actually receive.

I’m sure it’s more frustrating for the actual artist themselves to feel as though they are being looked over. However, there is a certain pain that you feel as a fan when one of your favorites doesn’t get the “flowers” they deserve. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, “I don’t see how (insert country music act here) isn’t one of the biggest names in all of music.”

If you are wondering why I didn’t actually name a name there, the reason is twofold. One, there are just too many underrated country music artists out there for me to single out a singular person or band. And two… the great people that follow Whiskey Riff on social media gave plenty of good answers when we asked them this question:

“What artist do you think deserves way more credit?”

Anyone come to mind?

It’s a great question, and one that’s somewhat hard to answer. Obviously, you aren’t going to see names like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs on this list. They get plenty of credit, and rightfully so. A list of country artists that deserve more credit is going to be littered with some names you kind of know (maybe heard a song by them here or there) or don’t know at all. To me, that second option is actually really exciting… you are lucky enough to get to hear a talented artist for the very first time.

Here’s what the fine folks that follow our Instagram page had to say when we asked them to to share with us who they thought are some of the most underrated country artists right now:

“Jake Worthington.”

“Taylor Hunnicutt.”

“The Droptines.”

“Ashley McBryde, without a doubt.”

“Jamey Johnson.”

“Muscadine Bloodline.”

“Whiskey Myers.”

“Chase Rice.”

“Kip Moore.”

“Silverada.”

“Charles Wesley Godwin.”

“Sierra Ferrell

“Aaron Watson.”

“Hailey Whitters.”

“Tanner Usrey.”

“Cole Chaney.”

“Colby Acuff.”

“Cross Canadian Ragweed.”

“Randall King.”

“Hannah Dasher.”

“Ian Munsick.”

“Cody Jinks.”

“49 Winchester.”

“Stephen Wilson Jr.”

“Ole 60.”

“Miles Miller.”

“Benjamin Tod.”

“Shane Smith and the Saints.”

If you scrolled through that list of names and didn’t recognize a majority of them… you’ve got some homework to do. On the flip side, if you read through and said, “I know that one, like them, they’re my favorite,” that’s the kind of energy I love.

Now we just have to figure out how to get them the credit they deserve, am I right?