Clint Black
Arguably the first big star to bring Country to a mainstream audience in the 1990s, Black is one of the first artists in a generation that took inspiration from Merle Haggard, Bob Wills, and George Jones, taking rock-oriented pop and mixing it up in a country setting. Offering an easily marketable and squeaky clean image of Country, he smoothed the way for artists after him to come along, particularly Garth Brooks.