Top 20 Country Music Artists for Corporate Events
- By Aaron Peterson
- May 22, 2024
Music draws people together. What better way to get your employees and staff excited to attend an important corporate event than by arranging to have one of the nation’s top country music artists perform? Many of them do more than sing to crowds and record albums. Many also run successful organizations and can share insights on what defines a person’s success.
1. Carly Pearce
When she was 16, Carly talked her parents into letting her drop out of high school to take a job at Dollywood, where she enrolled in a homeschooling program to complete her education. After a deal with Sony fell through, she worked hard to get noticed and landed a deal with Busbee, who released her song “Every Little Thing,” which sold half a million copies and became gold-certified. She won her first Grammy in 2023.
2. Billy Currington
Many discovered Billy after his hit duet with Shania Twain, “Party for Two” in 2004. It wasn’t his first hit as he had hits in 2003 and 2004 with “Walk a Little Straighter” and “I Got a Feeling.” His second album “Doin’ Somethin’ Right” hit #2 on the Billboard Country charts and went platinum. His newest album “Billy Currington #1’s Volume 1” comes out in July 2024.
3. Chris Janson
Chris Janson’s first debut single, “Til a Woman Comes Along” came out in 2010. He’s been in the country music industry for 14 years and has worked with Tim McGraw. “Buy Me a Boat” was his first top-five single and peaked at #3.
4. Alana Springsteen
After learning to play the guitar at seven, Alana became obsessed with performing and traveled the nation singing the national anthem at sports events. When she was 14, a performance landed her a publishing deal so her family moved to Nashville. She’s played at the Grand Ole Opry and was named “Pandora’s 2021 Country Artist to Watch.” As if she’s not busy enough, she’s also the celebrity ambassador to The Ryan Seacrest Foundation.
5. HARDY
Michael Wilson Hardy, or HARDY for short, is a country rock performer who started as a writing partner for Florida Georgia Line and Blake Shelton. He earned his first CMA nomination in 2019 for the Blake Shelton song “God’s Country,” and received the nomination for “New Artist of the Year” in 2021. He won the ACA’s “Artist-Songwriter of the Year” in 2023.
6. Cam
Camaron Marvel Ochs started her career writing music for the likes of Miley Cyrus and Sam Smith. Under her professional name Cam, her first album came out in 2010. Before any of this, she studied psychology at the University of California – Davis and sang with an a cappella group while there. She went to the Netherlands to continue her studies and learned to play guitar.
Cam also went to Nepal where she honed her skills before a professor asked her if psychology or music would be her biggest regret, so she transitioned her career to music and is both a talented artist and a popular TEDx speaker on the psychology of music.
7. Eli Young Band
Many of the members of the Eli Young Band met at the University of North Texas. In 2012, they were nominated for three ACMAs and a Grammy nomination for “Best Duo/Group Performance.” One of their biggest hits was the duet with Andy Grammer, “Honey, I’m Good.”
8. Maren Morris
It’s hard not to respect Maren Morris for her stance against so many things that are wrong today, and her music is even better. She started the Heroes Fund in 2017 to raise money for music education in public schools. After being called a “lunatic country music person” on FOX News, she used that insult to sell t-shirts and donate the funds to GLAAD.
Maren champions against the lack of support of marginalized people in the country music industry. She’s won several Grammys, CMAs, AMAs, Billboard Music Awards, and ACMAs for her songs and albums.
9. Tenille Townes
At the age of nine, Tenile attended a Shania Twain concert and held up a sign asking to get on stage and sing with Shania. That wish was granted, which kick-started her music career, but there’s more to it. She’s raised millions in her annual fundraiser, Big Hearts for Big Kids. In 2019, she won four Canadian CMA awards, including “Female Artist of the Year.”
10. Brett Eldredge
In 2010, Brett Eldredge was signed to Atlantic Records following his work with Gary Allan on “I Think I’ve Had Enough.” His first release, “Raymond” debuted at #52 on the Billboard charts. His third release “Don’t Ya” went to #1. He’s continued to gain popularity over the years, including being chosen as Taylor Swift’s opening act on the Red Tour.
11. Tyler Hubbard
He was a member of Florida Georgia Line before their hiatus in 2021. Since then, Tyler Hubbard has continued his career as a solo artist. His first single “Undivided” featured Tim McGraw and came out in 2021. His debut album came out in 2023 and reached #8 on the Billboard country charts.
12. Megan Moroney
Early in her career, Megan Moroney was Kristian Bush’s (Sugarland) intern. She’s thrived since then releasing her first single in 2021 and EP “Pistol Made of Roses.” Megan released her first full-length album in 2023 and “Lucky” reached #40 on the Billboard 200. Rolling Stone named it the “Best Country and American Album of 2023.” Her second album is due out in the summer of 2024.
13. Cody Hibbard
Cody’s path to music has been unusual. He worked his family’s farm until entering the U.S. Navy, where injuries ended that dream but brought him into the world of pipelining, which is work repairing and installing pipes. As this job often meant staying in a work camp, he’d play his guitar and sing to his co-workers as a means of entertainment. That grew into him playing local gigs at area bars and recording his song “Half Whiskey, Half Lonely.”
14. Hailey Whitters
Hailey co-wrote Little Big Town’s “Happy People” and toured with Maren Morris. Her third album featured duets with big names like Trisha Yearwood, Lori McKenna, and Little Big Town. Her fourth album came out in 2022 and debuted at #18 on Billboard’s “Heatseekers Albums” chart.
15. Craig Morgan
Craig Morgan became an EMT at 18 and served nine and a half years with the U.S. Army and Reserves since then. He re-enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 2023 while onstage at the Grand Ole Opry. His music career is impressive, but he’s also done some amazing things when he’s not on stage. In 2011, he saved two children from a house fire and grabbed a hose to put out the fire.
16. Levi Hummon
Since his debut EP came out in 2016, Levi Hummon has toured with Lady A, Tim McGraw, and Keith Urban. He’s performed several times at the Grand Ole Opry. Among his other singles are “Love Heals” with Alison Krauss, “Paying For It” with Walker Hayes, and “State I’m In.”
17. Easton Corbin
Dan Easton Corbin grew up with his grandparents following his parents' divorce, which is where he discovered country music. He took guitar lessons at 14 and joined a band. He entered a contest at the Annual Suwannee River Jam in 2005. That caught attention and led to him being introduced to a Nashville-based songwriter. His song “A Little More Country Than That” went to #1 on the Billboard Country Songs chart. He won the ACA “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” in 2010.
18. Dalton Dover
When he was in fifth grade, Dalton Dover performed Justin Bieber’s “Baby” at a middle school talent show and won. He taught himself how to play guitar at 16 and started performing at local bars and on TikTok, which is how he got noticed and signed to Droptine Recordings.
19. Jamey Johnson
The list of musicians that Jamey Johnson’s written music for is long and impressive. It includes Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and George Strait. Jamey’s also recovered his own albums, but it hasn’t been easy. When his record deal with BNA Records fell through, he left his wife and distanced himself to focus on songwriting. It was in his time that Jamey co-wrote George Strait’s first #1 hit. He received a CMA for “New Artist of the Year” in 2009 and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2022.
20. Ben Haggard
Even if you’ve never heard of Ben Haggard, you’ve likely heard of his dad, Merle. He’s the youngest child of the late Merle Haggard and, at 15, became the lead guitarist in his dad’s band The Strangers. After his father’s death, he and his brother Noel have continued the Strangers, and he’s featured on the 2024 song “Tomorrow’s Good Ol’ Days” with Jesse Daniel.
Any of these country stars are excellent choices for corporate events. Use Engage to get prices and availability for your upcoming corporate event.
