so many women on this list have given NOTHING to the promotion of women in country music other then just being there and having some hit songs along the way, but Barbara truly was a master of her craft…… She CHANGED minds about women,,,,, and it seems the haters are just Grumpy old ppl who still think women should just STAND there and sing….. HELLO she won ENTERTAINER of the year at the CMA’s TWICe,,, it had NEVER been done before and wasn’t even suppose to, had it not been for her it would never been done again.. now it’s common place for these things to happen but she gets no props in these surveys…. the write up of her is amazing here, as well as other LISTS,, yet she still never makes it into the top ten,,,,,WHY….

it’s because her reign was in the 80′s just like Shania and Faith get crap for being TOOO big,,,, big shows,,, gorgeous, fancy fancy fancy,,, and the traditional movement still tries to hold these women down…. get off your spoons and jugs ppl and realize that if these women didn’t exist,,, NEITHER would Alison Krauss,,, it takes BIG stars to keep the little ones afloat,,,,, yet the little ones get all the credit,,,,,do the math…….

I can name 3 women in the history of country music that get the short end of the stick..

1. Barbara Mandrell
2. Faith Hill
3. Shania Twain

WHY,,, hello these women are insanely gorgeous, they transcend all ideals of what a women is suppose to be,,,, and their shows are awesome and huge…. I would put Reba but Reba has managed to get credit because, regardless of what she records, her voice is still twangy and country and her tv show still had a country flair which kept her traditional fans……

I wish fans would get off their HIGH horse about the POP sound….. you work with what you’ve got in order to survive in music and these women, had LOOK, TALENT and great voices……

If you think Shania is TOO POP, it’s because you’re OLD…. if you want to hear pop.,,,,,, listen to the stuff she was going BEFORE she made it big,, THAT’S POP or ROCK if you will…… Faith’s voice changed over the years and I think it was more about trying to show she could SING rather than just twang through a song like her first album.. has it hurt her,, no,,, more fans…… it’s about fans, it’s about promoting themselves…. and to many ppl think music like literature and want to put this artist or that artist down for “integrity” GET off it, it’s about good music regardless of what kind of music it is…….

Did Barbara have the greatest songs, not always,, Crystal Gayle had TONS more numbers ones during that time period, but she is only known for her hair, and “don’t it make my brown eyes blue” and only because ppl thought she was saying Donuts lol… not Don’t it…. great song though but my point is you didn’t need to rack up hit after hit to be at the top of this list,,, and it amazes me that Barbara continues to be so low……

sorry to write so much but I stand by my words here as as singer, musician, songwriter, and performer myself…..

was she country YES,, it doesn’t take a scientist to figure this out… it was the 80′s… the music, the sound was very pop sounding but her voice transcended genre’s… She could sing soul, R&B, Pop, Country and you can’t keep a voice like that contained in such a small minded box, like so many fans have……

Her songs were heartfelt, you can’t find a better written song than “Years,” in today’s music and still be generalized, non specific and still makes you want to cry…….

I’m amazed at the women that get HIGHER billing on these lists,, absolutely ridiculous….. Tammy sang every EVERY song like her husband was cheating right in front of her,, BORING….. Loretta, although I have most of her music, sang with such a twang you practically need to take a shower to get the dirt off you,,, Patsy was a great singer but the thought of stepping out of her box on stage would have gotten her fired most likely,, a huge voice yet no power in her career,,,,

Barbara deserves SO much in the history books that has labeled her 80′s reign a horrible drowning achievement for country music… Barbara SAVED country in the 80′s.. the same that Shania saved it in the 90′s… Country music tends to repeat itself OVER and over,,, then 1 act comes along and BLOWS up all over,,, GARTH,,, SHANIA,,,,, which keeps sales and concerts going until softer, more traditional acts pick up the lower levels……..

Barbara was as said here, DA BOMB,, and should be NBR 1 in all surveys…….. for SHEER talent across the board…… I feel women above her, Tammy, Patsy, Loretta get higher votes for PURE respect but for pure talent it should be BARBARA……… PERIOD

Both Years and Thats What Friends Are For are two more that people tend to forget about.

Sleeping Single In A Double Bed would be a crossover song but this one hit #1 on all three of the major charts and was #1 for three weeks in a row in Billboard. Perhaps some people need to look up and see how often this happened, especially for a female, prior to it happening with this song sung by Barbara.

Most of the country stars that really made it big had crossover hits. They did not stay with traditional country music all of the time. But, the truly great ones also did not turn country into country rock. They were pretty much singing mainstream country at the time.

Barbara, of course, is one who did so much more than record some great songs. And, perhaps because she was so good at these other things, her songs get overshadowed by some. I do not know, but I think it it s thought. She was certainly and entertainter in every sense of the world and I doubt there will ever be an entertainer like her come on the scene again. Her TV show spread country music to millions who were not at all interested in country music before. And, this show gave other country artists national TV exposure at a time when country artists could not get on national TV shows.

When I think of lists that rank the artists, I think numerous things have to be taken into account and when you get closer to the top of the lists, taking everything into account is even more important. Longevity on a top level has to be important and this is why I would never rank any newcomer very high on any such lists. There is no way to know what the newcomer will or will not be able to do over an extended period of time. Chart success, concerts appearances, what the artist does for country music in the big picture, awards, etc. Just so many things need to be looked at. And, unless someone is strong in all the areas, I do not t hink they should be ranked any too high on lists. So, while I am happy Barbara Mandrell has made the #15, on this particular list, she should be so much higher. I would probably put her at #8. I think the early females have to be included even if they can not compared to ones who came later so ones like Patsy Montana are very deserving of high ranks. Without these ladies, the others would not be where they are or were. The ones who paved the way deserve a lot of credit and more credit than most of them usually get.