I live about an hour from Nashville Tennessee. I like old country mostly. Most country music today is “Pop Country” Todays country sucks because most country artist don’t write their own songs or have their own bands play on albums. There is a place in Nashville called Music Row where pretty much all the songwriting and studio musicians do most of what you hear on the radio.
Personally I like Johnny Cash, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Tammy Faye Starlite, Hank Williams Sr, Hank Williams Jr, Hank Williams 3. I like more of the twangy stuff with fiddles, steel guitars and stuff like that.
Here is a song by Hank Williams 3 about how todays mainstream country music sucks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEY8ARSGHTU